8th Grade Regional Studies: Homework for Regional Studies Archives

June 1, 2007

Final Exam Reminders

Here is a downloadable copy of the note sheet for the final exam. You can use this to prepare your outlines for the exam, but you don't have to use it.

Don't forget that you need to prepare for all of the questions in the first set and that you can choose which question you will answer from the second set.

I will be available for help today during 5th block and by email over the weekend. This is your only homework at this point.

Posted by kmurr at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

May 31, 2007

Thursday, May 31st: The Rising Giant

Today we will talk about China's incredible economic growth. You will be completing a chart tracking the causes of China's economic growth and the advantages and disadvantages of this growth. We will use a variety of sources to find this information. You will work on researching in small groups and then you will share your ideas with the class. As you research, consider the following questions:

Why should Americans be concerned about this growth?

Should America see China as an economic threat?

Can China's economy continue to grow at this rapid rate?

Sources of Information

Key Facts Associated with China's Economic Growth - Be sure to look at all four tabs in this chart.

China By the Numbers - You might find some of these statistics interesting.

"What Might Hold Back China?" - This article describes some of the concerns associated with China's economic growth.

China 2026: What Will Life Be Like? - This article describes how China's economic growth is changing Chinese citizens' daily lives.

Growth Tests Asian Giants' Strength - This article describes some of the disadvantages of China's economic growth.

China's Trade Surplus Jumps Ahead - This article discusses China's huge export advantage over the United States.

Homework

You have your China quiz tomorrow. Remember, that all of your notes must be printed BEFORE you come to class. That means you need to print today, tonight or tomorrow morning.

You should continue preparing for your final exam. Remember that you can meet with me at any point to discuss your preparations.

Posted by kmurr at 9:14 AM | Comments (0)

May 30, 2007

Wednesday, May 30th: Taiwan

The Background

You will take a few notes about the Republic of China (Taiwan) in order to understand the current concerns about a potential conflict between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan. Use this study guide as an aid.

Scenarios Discussion: When should the U.S. get involved and how?

1. China passes a law stating that it will use non-peaceful means to keep Taiwan from declaring its independence.

2. China carries out military drills off the coast of Taiwan.

3. China shoots missiles at Taiwan.

4. China invades Taiwan, but vows not to use nuclear weapons.

5. China invades Taiwan and it is known that China is willing to use tactical nuclear weapons if the United States involves itself in the conflict.

For each scenario, consider whether or not the United States should become involved and if so, to what degree and through what means. If the United States should not become involved, be sure to explain why.

Homework

Continue working on your final exam. Remember that you can meet with me about your essay outlines and that I will have lunch study sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Start preparing your notes, readings, etc. for your multiple-choice test on China. The test will be on Friday. You can use any notes, readings, worksheets, etc. that you have on China. You will have up to 75 minutes to complete the exam.

Posted by kmurr at 9:36 AM | Comments (0)

May 29, 2007

Tuesday, May 29th: Contemporary Challenges in China

Tiananmen Square

We will finish up our discussion of the Tiananmen Square massacre. Be prepared to discuss what the United States should have done about this event and to comment on what it actually did do.

The Background

Scenarios Discussion: When should the U.S. get involved and how?

1. China passes a law stating that it will use non-peaceful means to keep Taiwan from declaring its independence.

2. China carries out military drills off the coast of Taiwan.

3. China shoots missiles at Taiwan.

4. China invades Taiwan, but vows not to use nuclear weapons.

5. China invades Taiwan and it is known that China is willing to use tactical nuclear weapons if the United States involves itself in the conflict.

Homework

Continue working on your final exam. Remember that you can meet with me about your essay outlines and that I will have lunch study sessions on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:14 AM | Comments (0)

May 25, 2007

Friday, May 25th: Tiananmen Square Massacre

The Background

We will watch an excerpt from the video China: Born Under the Red Flag to become a bit more familiar with the details of the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989. Download these questions to answer during the movie.

The Debate

Much of the world was outraged by what it saw in Tiananmen Square and a number of steps were taken to punish China. Today, however, China is an important trading partner for the United States and we frequently involve China on discussions of important diplomatic issues. Consider the following questions in light of this situation.

Should the United States maintain somewhat normalized relations with a country that commits major and flagrant human rights violations?

Can trade change a country's policies?

Is it our "business?" Should we be concerned about democracy in China?

Will China change on its own without outside influence?

Does the United States look hypocritical in calling for democracy in the Middle East, but also working with countries in other parts of the world that clearly aren't democracies?

Homework

Continue preparing for the final exam.

Posted by kmurr at 9:11 AM | Comments (0)

May 23, 2007

Wednesday, May 23rd: Mao and China

Mao Through Many Lenses

Mao Zedong is probably the most famous communist leader of China. Mao had a profound influence on China's economic and political development and you need to understand him to understand China today. We will explore Mao's legacy by looking at a number of different resources on the Internet. Use these resources to answer the attached questions. You can answer the questions in pairs if you would like to do so.

Mao's Economic Legacy

1. Read the portion of the BBC article that deals with Mao's economic policies (scroll down to find this section). Also, look at the graph at the start of the article. What does this graph say about economic progress during Mao's rule?

2. Read about one of Mao's most infamous economic policies, the Great Leap Forward.

3. Read about the philosophy related to work and compensation in China. Does this remind you of our Karl Marx debate?

4. Use all of this information to answer the economics questions on the sheet that you downloaded.

The Cultural Revolution

1. Read this BBC description of the Cultural Revolution, it will give you a sense of the purpose and magnitude of the Cultural Revolution.

2. Read about the Red Guard. These militants helped to carry out the Cultural Revolution. What is the Red Guard's relationship to equality?

3. Scroll down once you click on this link. Click on the link called "Ask Chairman Mao for the Answers." What is Mao trying to accomplish by having millions of people read this book?

4. Click on this link and scroll down to where it says, "English Lessons: A Picture of Chairman Mao and A Black Boy in America." What is Mao trying accomplish with this type of lesson? Again, how does this relate to equality?

5. Click on this link and then click on the link called "A Song-And-Dance Epic." Watch a few clips from this musical. What is Mao trying to accomplish with this type of propaganda?

6. Lastly, click on this link and click on the Propaganda Posters link on the left hand side. Then click on the Cultural Revolution Posters link. Scroll through the posters and use the information on the posters to answer the questions.

Homework

You do not have any homework that is due tomorrow. Use this as an opportunity to begin working on your final exam preparation.

Posted by kmurr at 8:58 AM | Comments (0)

May 22, 2007

Tuesday, May 22nd: The Rape of Nanking

The Rape of Nanking

We will discuss a series of readings that you completed last night. Be prepared to consider the following questions. Also, we will probably take a look at this link at some point during the hour.

-Should countries acknowledge and discuss the atrocities that they have committed?
-Should the killing of soldiers be considered a massacre?
-Are history textbooks important? Should we be concerned with how historical events are portrayed in history textbooks?
-Should Japan doing something to rectify this situation?
-Should historical events continue to impact relations between countries today?
-Has the United States committed atrocities that it does not recognize or discuss?
-Does ignoring history matter?

Mao Through Many Lenses

Mao's Economic Legacy

2. Read about one of Mao's most infamous economic policies, the Great Leap Forward.

3. Read about the philosophy related to work and compensation in China. Does this remind you of our Karl Marx debate?

4. Use all of this information to answer the economics questions on the sheet that you downloaded.

The Cultural Revolution

1. Read this BBC description of the Cultural Revolution, it will give you a sense of the purpose and magnitude of the Cultural Revolution.

2. Read about the Red Guard. These militants helped to carry out the Cultural Revolution. What is the Red Guard's relationship to equality?

3. Scroll down once you click on this link. Click on the link called "Ask Chairman Mao for the Answers." What is Mao trying to accomplish by having millions of people read this book?

5. Click on this link and then click on the link called "A Song-And-Dance Epic." Watch a few clips from this musical. What is Mao trying to accomplish with this type of propaganda?

Homework

You will not have homework this evening.

Posted by kmurr at 7:53 AM | Comments (0)

May 18, 2007

Friday, May 18th: The End of Imperial China

Significant Events in 19th Century Chinese History

The 1800's was a period of dramatic change in China. One of the major causes of this change was Western influence on China. In order to understand this influence, we need to study the imperialist policies that Western countries had toward China. Follow the directions below each of the following events/policies to better understand the Western imperialism. Keep track of your findings on this sheet.

Opium War

Use the information on the handout to determine HOW AND WHY Britain used a narcotic to open trade with China.

Treaty of Nanking

This treaty was signed after the first Opium War. Which country benefits most from this treaty?

Spheres of Influence and Open Door Policy

Look at the map on this page. Which countries had influence over parts of China? How is what happened in China similar to what happened in Africa? Read the paragraph labeled Spheres of Influence. How is what happened in China different from what happened in Africa? Think about the amount of control that European countries had over China versus the amount of control that European countries had over African countries.

Use the cartoon linked here to determine how some Europeans viewed the Chinese.

In 1899, the Americans proposed a different policy toward China. It was called the Open Door policy and European countries agreed to the policy. How did this policy change the spheres of influence policy that had already existed? Why would Americans propose this policy?

Boxer Rebellion

The Chinese population didn't simply "go along" with Western imperialism. Resistance movements developed throughout the 1800s. One prominent example of this resistance is the Boxer Rebellion of 1899. Read about this rebellion here. What were the results of the Boxer Rebellion?

Homework

There is no homework for this evening.

Posted by kmurr at 9:31 AM | Comments (0)

May 14, 2007

Monday, May 14th: A Potpourri of Tasks

First you will take your China geography quiz. Good luck!

Time to Work

I will give you some time to meet with your presentation groups. I will check in with each group to make sure you are still on the right track. Remember that presentations begin tomorrow.

Confucius

I will give you a brief introduction to Confucianism. It is an important belief system in China. We will use a series of sayings from Confucius to understand more about it.

Homework

Work on your presentations!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:35 AM | Comments (0)

May 10, 2007

Thursday, May 10th: Preparation for Ancient China Project

Todya is a day to work on your projects. In order to help you with your research, I have linked a few websites here. These are only intended to be starting points for your research.

CNN's Visions of China

Minnesota State University's Page on China - This page includes a lot of information. If you do some digging, you should be able to find some really helpful information.

The Golden Age of Chinese Archaegology from the National Gallery of Art - This page includes information about some of the early Chinese dynasties. Those of you studying beliefs, art or architecture might find this page helpful.

Asia for Educators - This site is incredible. It is designed for teachers, but it has all sorts of information that all of the groups could use. Pay special attention to the list of categories on the left center of the page. If you run your mouse over these categories, you will see a place where you can click for links to resources about that topic in China. I think you might find this information helpful.

China: An Inner Realm - This site was actually designed by high school students. It has a lot of good information and links to other excellent sites. It is a great place to get a basic introduction to your topics.

China Daily Life - This site has links that would be of interest to those groups studying culture, art, daily life, etc.

Internet Guide to Chinese Studies - This has a ton of links that may or may not be helpful.

Homework

Your homework is to work on your ancient China project. Also, you will have your China geography quiz on Monday. Don't forget to study.

Posted by kmurr at 9:14 AM | Comments (0)

May 9, 2007

Wednesday, May 9th: Introduction to China

Introduction to China

We will start our last unit of the year today, China. We will begin by discussing an interesting article from Newsweek that contrasts China and Russia. This seemed like an appropriate place to begin our study.

China By the Numbers

For a change of pace, we will look at a series of maps and a data set. These sources will be the springboard for a discussion about China.

First, we will look at five different maps. Each of these maps addresses a different topic related to China. The topics include, trade, gender, ethnicity, the military and population. You will get into groups of four and each group will get one map. Work with your group members to interpret your map. Specifically, look at your map and draw five conclusions. Be prepared to explain and justify these conclusions to the class.

Next, we will look at a set of numbers about China. We will discuss these numbers as a class.

Homework

At the end of the hour, you received a description of the ancient China project. You picked your group and your group selected a topic. Now it is time to get to work. These presentations will begin next week and your homework over the next few days will be to work to prepare for your presentation. Please don't procrastinate and communicate with your group members so that you know what to do.

Posted by kmurr at 9:50 AM | Comments (0)

April 30, 2007

Monday, April 30th: Cuban Missile Crisis Simulation

Cuban Missile Crisis Simulation

We will work on this simulation for the bulk of the hour. You will first meet with people who share your position on how to deal with the crisis. Then, you will get into negotiating groups and debate with other students who have different positions. I will give you more details once the simulation begins.

Homework

No homework for this evening. Have a nice night.

Posted by kmurr at 9:07 AM | Comments (0)

April 27, 2007

Friday, April 27th: The Cold War

An Introduction to the Cold War

For the next few days we will be examining the Cold War. Your ideas and research will drive much of this discussion. To begin this discussion, look at the list of Cold War events pasted below. In a group of two to three, pick four of these entries and study them. For each of the entries that you choose, make sure that you can answer the following questions:

-When did it happen?

-Where did the event happen?

-What happened?

-How did the event affect US/ Soviet relations?

-Was there a "winner" or "loser"? Why?

Use this sheet to record your findings.

Marshall Plan

Look at the "Episode Recap," the "Interactive Map" link on the right side of the page, and the "Truman Doctrine" link on the right side of the page.

Hungarian Uprising

Click on both of the "Interactive Map" features on the right side of this site.

Sputnik

Read the "Episode Recap" link and browse the "Interactive Timeline" on the right side of the page.

U2 Incident

Review the "Episode Recap" link (You may have already read this one.) and look at the two "Historical Documents" links that have to do with the U2 incident.

Berlin Wall

Study the "Episode Recap" link and the "Interactive Map."

MAD

Study the "Episode Recap," the "Interactive Timeline," and the "Interactive Map."

Homework Cold War Simulation

We will be working on a simulation dealing with the Cuban Missile Crisis tomorrow. You will act as an advisor to President John F. Kennedy. Your job will be to convince President Kennedy to pick your option to respond to the Cuban Missile Crisis. Each of the advisor groups are listed below.

Warning: This group will warn Russia to takes its missiles off the island of Cuba. The United States will threaten further action if Russia does not comply.

Second Block: Elle G. Rovena M. John N.
Fourth Block: Michelle A. David C. Joe J.

Blockade: This group will place a blockade around Cuba to prevent any additional missiles from getting into the country.

Second Block: Paloma S. John J. Emma I. Aaron M.
Fourth Block: Julie B. Ellen L. Nic M. Vanick N.

Surgical Strikes: This group will use U.S. fighter planes to attack the missile sites. The goal of these attacks will be to take out the missiles and the mechanisms to launch the missiles.

Second Block: Jake G. Lauren B. Zoe Q. Maggie F.
Fourth Block: Karen L. Tess F. Peter K. Jack S.

Invasion: This group will invade Cuba with the intent of getting rid of the Russian missiles and of Fidel Castro.

Second Block: Sarah C. Gus L. Naomi B.
Fourth Block: Sarah D. Nathan H. Maggie W. Manila X.

Tonight, you need to read and review all of the information given to you. This includes summaries of the Cuban Missile Crisis, a CIA briefing paper that discusses the different options and a series of satellite photographs. As you read this information, make lists of all of the reasons to support your option and to oppose the other options. Tomorrow in class, we will be debating about these different options.

Posted by kmurr at 8:57 AM | Comments (0)

April 26, 2007

Thursday, April 26th: The Cold War

An Introduction to the Cold War

-When did it happen?

-Where did the event happen?

-What happened?

-How did the event affect US/ Soviet relations?

-Was there a "winner" or "loser"? Why?

Use this sheet to record your findings.

Marshall Plan

Look at the "Episode Recap," the "Interactive Map" link on the right side of the page, and the "Truman Doctrine" link on the right side of the page.

Hungarian Uprising

Click on both of the "Interactive Map" features on the right side of this site.

Sputnik

Read the "Episode Recap" link and browse the "Interactive Timeline" on the right side of the page.

U2 Incident

Review the "Episode Recap" link (You may have already read this one.) and look at the two "Historical Documents" links that have to do with the U2 incident.

Berlin Wall

Study the "Episode Recap" link and the "Interactive Map."

MAD

Study the "Episode Recap," the "Interactive Timeline," and the "Interactive Map."

Homework

Depending on how far we get in the lesson today, you will need to finish a certain number of Cold War events for homework.

Posted by kmurr at 9:07 AM | Comments (0)

April 25, 2007

Wednesday, April 25th: Stalin and the Cold War

We will finish your notes about Stalin today. World War II will be our focus.

Stalin and Power

We will discuss your findings from your homework. Remember, we are trying to determine how Stalin gained so much power in the Soviet Union. Be prepared to point to specific pieces of evidence to support your conclusions. I will re-link the Stalin sources here so that you can access them during the lesson.

Posters used during Stalin's Regime

Hymn to Stalin

Time's Man of the Year Article in 1942 (Ignore the commentary at the start of this page. Skip down to the actual excerpts.)

Letter to Stalin from Someone Sentenced to Die

Letter to Stalin from Prisoners in a Gulag

Memo from the NKVD

An Introduction to the Cold War

-When did it happen?

-Where did the event happen?

-What happened?

-How did the event affect US/ Soviet relations?

-Was there a "winner" or "loser"? Why?

Use this sheet to record your findings.

Marshall Plan

Look at the "Episode Recap," the "Interactive Map" link on the right side of the page, and the "Truman Doctrine" link on the right side of the page.

Hungarian Uprising

Click on both of the "Interactive Map" features on the right side of this site.

Sputnik

Read the "Episode Recap" link and browse the "Interactive Timeline" on the right side of the page.

U2 Incident

Review the "Episode Recap" link (You may have already read this one.) and look at the two "Historical Documents" links that have to do with the U2 incident.

Berlin Wall

Study the "Episode Recap" link and the "Interactive Map."

MAD

Study the "Episode Recap," the "Interactive Timeline," and the "Interactive Map."

Homework

Depending on how far we get in the lesson today, you will need to finish a certain number of Cold War events for homework.

Posted by kmurr at 9:07 AM | Comments (0)

April 19, 2007

April 19th: Some Notes That You Might Need

Hi. I promised you two different sets of notes, but I forgot to give them to you. Linked here are the notes for the Time of Troubles and the notes for the Fall of the Romanovs.

Please don't forget that you can email me questions over the weekend. I will be checking throughout the weekend.

Posted by kmurr at 2:55 PM | Comments (0)

Thursday, April 19th: Reenacting the Revolution

Today we will reenact the Russian Revolution. We will begin with a little bit of preparation time. You will meet in three groups and I will meet with each group to make sure that everyone is as prepared as possible to play their role. Remember, you are graded not only on your written work, but also on what you say during the revolution.

Homework:

Complete the two readings about communism. They are difficult, but I want to expose you to some of these ideas before we talk about them in class.

Continue working to prepare for Monday's exam. You can email me questions and outlines over the weekend. I will also be around through 5th block today to answer questions.

Posted by kmurr at 9:15 AM | Comments (0)

April 17, 2007

Tuesday, April 17th: The Fall of the Romanovs

Factors in the Fall of the Romanovs

Last night you read about some of the events that led to the fall of the Romanovs. Use the reading to make a list of all of the different factors that brought down the tsars. Be as specific as possible. We will share your lists after about five minutes. Eventually, you will want to download these notes and take a look at them.

Remaking the Revolution

On Thursday, we will be recreating the Russian Revolution. Rather than playing yourselves, you will be playing an assigned part. Some of you will be supporting one of two options. Others of you will be undecided Russians who are questioning which option they are going to support. Right now, I will hand out the parts and give you some time to meet with me and to prepare.

Homework

Complete your Russian Revolution preparations by Thursday. I would spend about 45 minutes on your preparation.

Continue studying for Monday’s exam. Remember, you can use notes on this test, so work to take advantage of that.

Posted by kmurr at 9:01 AM | Comments (0)

April 9, 2007

Monday, April 9th: The Beginning

The Beginning

Notes
Download this note guide so that you can organize your thoughts. You may also want to look at the following links. All of them will be used during the lecture.

Map of Kievan Rus

Church of the Transfiguration

Cyrillic Alphabet

Homework

Your cities quiz is tomorrow. Don't forget to study.

Do the reading that I handed to you on Friday. It is about the Mongols. Don't forget that you will have a short quiz about this reading. You can use the reading on the quiz.

Posted by kmurr at 9:03 AM | Comments (0)

April 6, 2007

Friday, April 6: Early Russia

Physical Geography Quiz

Good luck!!

Russia Chronology

We will finish up the chronology activity today. Continue asking questions and taking notes.

The Beginning

Notes
Download this note guide so that you can organize your thoughts. You may also want to look at the following links. All of them will be used during the lecture.

Map of Kievan Rus

Church of the Transfiguration

Cyrillic Alphabet

Homework

Your Russia countries quiz is on Monday. Don’t forget to study.

Read the short reading about the Mongols for Monday. You will have a short reading comprehension quiz on this reading on Monday. You will be able to use the reading on the quiz.

Posted by kmurr at 9:27 AM | Comments (0)

April 5, 2007

Thursday, April 5th: Russia Chronology

We will complete the Russia chronology activity today. First, seat yourself in order from the oldest event to the most recent event. Then, download the blank chronology sheet. You can use this to take notes while you listen to the presentations. You will find these notes very helpful when you study for tests.

Homework

Your first geography quiz is tomorrow. It will cover the physical geography of Russia. Don’t forget to study!

Posted by kmurr at 9:25 AM | Comments (0)

April 3, 2007

Wednesday, April 4th: Beginning with the End

Beginning With the End

Instead of beginning at the "beginning" of Russian history, I think we will begin with the end. We will look at what is going on in Russia today, so that we can keep the present situation in mind as we study the past. You will read an article about Vladimir Putin and his approach to governing. While you read this article, complete the chart that I handed to you. We will discuss this in class.

Homework

You homework for tonight is the Russia Chronology Assignment. You chose an event today in class and tonight you need to research this event. You will present your findings tomorrow in class. Your presentation should be about two minutes long and should contain something visual. Use the questions that you can download here to guide your research. This assignment should take between 30 and 40 minutes.

Here are some websites that might help you.

The Face of Russia

Russia and the Former USSR

You also have some Russia geography quizzes coming up. Your physical geography quiz will be on Friday. Your countries quiz will be on Monday. Your cities quiz will be on Tuesday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2007

Monday, March 26th: Taiwan

The Background

Scenarios Discussion: When should the U.S. get involved and how?

1. China passes a law stating that it will use non-peaceful means to keep Taiwan from declaring its independence.

2. China carries out military drills off the coast of Taiwan.

3. China shoots missiles at Taiwan.

4. China invades Taiwan, but vows not to use nuclear weapons.

5. China invades Taiwan and it is known that China is willing to use tactical nuclear weapons if the United States involves itself in the conflict.

Homework

Continue working on your final exam. Remember that you can meet with me about your essay outlines and that I will have lunch study sessions on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

Start preparing your notes, readings, etc. for your multiple-choice test on China. The test will be on Thursday. You can use any notes, readings, worksheets, etc. that you have on China. You will have up to 75 minutes to complete the exam.

Posted by kmurr at 7:10 PM | Comments (0)

March 8, 2007

Thursday, March 8th: Mao's China

Mao Through Many Lenses

Mao's Economic Legacy

2. Read about one of Mao's most infamous economic policies, the Great Leap Forward.

3. Read about the philosophy related to work and compensation in China. Does this remind you of our Karl Marx debate?

4. Use all of this information to answer the economics questions on the sheet that you downloaded.

The Cultural Revolution

1. Read this BBC description of the Cultural Revolution, it will give you a sense of the purpose and magnitude of the Cultural Revolution.

2. Read about the Red Guard. These militants helped to carry out the Cultural Revolution. What is the Red Guard's relationship to equality?

3. Scroll down once you click on this link. Click on the link called "Ask Chairman Mao for the Answers." What is Mao trying to accomplish by having millions of people read this book?

5. Click on this link and then click on the link called "A Song-And-Dance Epic." Watch a few clips from this musical. What is Mao trying to accomplish with this type of propaganda?

Homework

You will not have homework this evening.

Posted by kmurr at 9:24 AM | Comments (0)

March 7, 2007

Wednesday, March 7th: The Rape of Nanking

The Rape of Nanking

We will discuss a series of readings that you completed last night. Be prepared to consider the following questions.

Mao Through Many Lenses

Mao's Economic Legacy

2. Read about one of Mao's most infamous economic policies, the Great Leap Forward.

3. Read about the philosophy related to work and compensation in China. Does this remind you of our Karl Marx debate?

4. Use all of this information to answer the economics questions on the sheet that you downloaded.

The Cultural Revolution

1. Read this BBC description of the Cultural Revolution, it will give you a sense of the purpose and magnitude of the Cultural Revolution.

2. Read about the Red Guard. These militants helped to carry out the Cultural Revolution. What is the Red Guard's relationship to equality?

3. Scroll down once you click on this link. Click on the link called "Ask Chairman Mao for the Answers." What is Mao trying to accomplish by having millions of people read this book?

5. Click on this link and then click on the link called "A Song-And-Dance Epic." Watch a few clips from this musical. What is Mao trying to accomplish with this type of propaganda?

Homework

You will not have homework this evening.

Posted by kmurr at 9:06 AM | Comments (0)

March 1, 2007

Thursday, March 1st: Confucianism and the End of the Dynasties

Confucianism

We will begin with a discussion of Confucius. Be ready to share your thoughts on family, school and government.

Significant Events in 19th Century Chinese History

Opium War

Use the information on the handout to determine HOW AND WHY Britain used a narcotic to open trade with China.

Treaty of Nanking

This treaty was signed after the first Opium War. Which country benefits most from this treaty?

Spheres of Influence and Open Door Policy

Use the cartoon linked here to determine how some Europeans viewed the Chinese.

Boxer Rebellion

Homework

You should not have any homework for this evening. If we do not have school tomorrow, read the blog for any announcements related to Regional Studies. Don't worry. I won't give additional homework. I may make an announcement about bringing winter outerwear for Monday.

Posted by kmurr at 8:54 AM | Comments (0)

February 21, 2007

Wednesday, February 21st: Presentation Preparation

Work on preparing your presentation. This site might be of help to some of you if you do a little digging.

Posted by kmurr at 10:20 AM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2007

Tuesday, February 20th: Ancient and Imperial China Project

Geography Quiz

We will begin with the geography quiz. Good luck!

Ancient and Imperial China Project

I will hand you a description of this assignment in class. This description will give you all of the details that you need about the project requirements. In order to help you with your research, I have linked a few websites here. These are only intended to be starting points for your research.

CNN's Visions of China

Minnesota State University's Page on China - This page includes a lot of information. If you do some digging, you should be able to find some really helpful information.

China Daily Life - This site has links that would be of interest to those groups studying culture, art, daily life, etc.

Homework

Your homework is to work on your ancient China project. This will be your only homework for the next week.

Posted by kmurr at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

February 15, 2007

Thursday, February 15th: Introduction to China

Introduction to China

We will start our last unit of the year today, China. We will begin by looking at a series of maps and a data set. These sources will be the springboard for our discussion about China.

Next, we will look at a set of numbers about China. We will discuss these numbers as a class.

Homework

At the end of class, you received your event for the China chronology activity. This activity will work just as it did for the Russia chronology activity. You will need to give a short 1 - 2 minute presentation about your event. Try to make it as interesting as possible. Here is a sheet of questions that will help you to organize your thoughts.

Also, you should start studying for your China geography quiz. It will be next Tuesday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)

February 13, 2007

Tuesday, February 13th: Russia Congress Day Two

We will finish our Russia congress today. Don't forget that you need to do one extra speech beyond your pre-prepared speech.

Tonight you need to study for your final Russia exam. Don't forget that you can use a limited number of notes on the identification portion of the exam AND on the essay portion of the exam. The test sheet that you received last week explains this. Remember that your notes for the identification test and for the essay test need to be SEPARATE and need to be your own work.

Posted by kmurr at 9:25 AM | Comments (0)

February 9, 2007

Friday, February 9th: Work Day!

Today is a work day. Use this time to work on your debate speeches for Monday. I will be happy to help you with your research. Your homework for the weekend is to prepare for the debates and to continue preparing for your test. Remember, you can choose which essay question you would like to answer.

Have a nice weekend!

Posted by kmurr at 9:44 AM | Comments (0)

February 2, 2007

Friday, February 2nd: Stalin

Introduction to Stalin

These notes will help you to understand how Stalin came to power and some of the first policies that he put into place. While you take these notes, think about how Stalin was able to consolidate his power.

A Study of Power

You are going to use a variety of primary and secondary sources to determine how Stalin was able to become so powerful. As you look at these sources in your group, make a list of all of the methods that Stalin used to obtain power. Also, make note of which evidence supports this conclusion. Your list can and should be very specific.

Posters used during Stalin's Regime

Hymn to Stalin

Time's Man of the Year Article in 1942 (Ignore the commentary at the start of this page. Skip down to the actual excerpts.

Letter to Stalin from Someone Sentenced to Die

Letter to Stalin from Prisoners in a Gulag

Memo from the NKVD

Posted by kmurr at 9:18 AM | Comments (0)

January 31, 2007

Wednesday, January 31st: Reenacting the Revolution

Homework:

Complete the two readings about communism. They are difficult, but I want to expose you to some of these ideas before we talk about them in class. Be prepared for a short reading quiz on these two readings for tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 9:16 AM | Comments (0)

January 29, 2007

Monday, January 29th: Test Preparation

Hi. I am out sick today. You will have today to prepare for TOMORROW'S exam. We have covered everything that will be on the test, so I see no reason to postpone it. We will do the Russian Revolution simulation on Wednesday. Here is what you should be working on today.

1. Preparing your notes for the identification section of the test...Remember that for each identification, you can have ten words worth of notes.

2. Preparing your outlines...You can have 150 words for each question. You must prepare for BOTH questions.

3. Please print out the Russian Revolution assignment and have that ready to turn in tomorrow before the test.

Mr. Vergin will have extra copies of the test sheet if you need it. I will try to check email throughout the day.

Thanks!

Ms. Murr

Posted by kmurr at 8:56 AM | Comments (0)

January 26, 2007

Friday, January 26th: The Fall of the Romanovs

Factors in the Fall of the Romanovs

Remaking the Revolution

On Monday, we will be recreating the Russian Revolution. Rather than playing yourselves, you will be playing an assigned part. Some of you will be supporting one of two options. Others of you will be undecided Russians who are questioning which option they are going to support. Right now, I will hand out the parts and give you some time to meet with me and to prepare.

Homework

Complete your Russian Revolution preparations. I would spend about 45 minutes on your preparation.

Continue studying for Tuesday’s exam. Remember, you can use a lot of notes on this test, so work to take advantage of that.

Posted by kmurr at 7:01 AM | Comments (0)

January 25, 2007

Thursday, January 25th: The Greats

The Greats

We will look at two more czars from Russian history. Download this note guide to organize your ideas.

Women in Politics

We are going to discuss the role of women in modern politics. We will think about some of the things that we learned about Catherine the Great as we complete this discussion.

Homework

Begin preparing for next week's test. Remember, you can now answer both of the essay questions.

Read the packet about peasant life in Russia. We will be discussing this tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 9:25 AM | Comments (0)

January 24, 2007

Wednesday, January 24th: The "Greats" In Russian History

First Russia Unit Test

We will go over the information for the first unit test on Russia. This test has a different format from previous tests, so pay close attention to my explanations.

Russia and Democracy

You had to complete a reading about democracy in Russia. We will be discussing this reading and a few other interesting statistics that I found. Be prepared to comment as I will not be afraid to call on students who are not raising their hands.

The Greats

We will look at two more czars from Russian history. Download this note guide to organize your ideas.

Homework

Begin preparing for next week's test. If you didn't read the article about women in politics last night, do so for tonight.

Posted by kmurr at 9:12 AM | Comments (0)

January 23, 2007

Tuesday, January 23: The Ivans

State of the Union Address

President Bush will be giving his State of the Union address tonight. I will give you a few ideas of things to look for and you can talk about what you want to hear.

Invasion

We will finish our discussion of the Mongol invasion and domination of Russia. This shouldn’t take more than about 15 minutes.

Two Ivans and the Time of Troubles

We are going to take a few notes about some of the earliest Russian czars. Download this note guide for help. I have some interesting stories for you and you will spend as much time listening as you will typing. Keep in mind the current state of Russia as you take these notes.

Democracy in Russia

Homework

You have another article to read tonight. This article doesn’t actually deal with Russia. Instead it examines whether or not the United States is ready for a female president. The article is very biased. Feel free to criticize its conclusions. We will be discussing this article in class tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 9:07 AM | Comments (0)

January 22, 2007

Monday, January 22: Invasion

Cities Quiz

Any last minute questions? If not, good luck!

Kievan Rus

We will finish up our notes about Kievan Rus. This shouldn’t take long at all.

Reading Quiz

We will take our reading quiz now. It will take about five minutes.

Genghis Khan

We will use a video clip to begin our analysis of Genghis Khan and the Mongols. As you watch the clip, think about your impressions of the Mongols. How would you describe them? What is society’s view of the Mongols? Why would society have this impression?

Notes on the Mongol Invasion

We will focus on the impacts of the Mongol invasion. Download this note guide to help you organize your thoughts.

Homework

Read the “Russia and Democracy” reading. Follow the directions on the reading to complete the assignment. This assignment will take about 45 minutes. This is your only homework for the evening.

Posted by kmurr at 9:26 AM | Comments (0)

January 19, 2007

Friday, January 19th: Kievan Rus

The Beginning

A couple of days ago, we discussed the “end” of Russian history. Today we will turn to the beginning of Russian history. Just as we did with the colonization of Africa, we will use a set of images to draw conclusions about Kievan Rus, the first “incarnation” of Russia. You will get into a group of two and use a series of images to draw at least 15 conclusions about Kievan Rus. Just as with the colonization activity, you need to make sure that you aren’t just making observations about the pictures. You need to use your observations to draw more general conclusions about Kievan Rus. You will have 15 minutes to draw at least 15 conclusions.

Notes
Download this note guide so that you can organize your thoughts. You may also want to look at the following links. All of them will be used during the lecture.

Map of Kievan Rus

Church of the Transfiguration

Cyrillic Alphabet

Homework

Your Russia cities quiz is on Monday. Don’t forget to study.

Read the short reading about the Mongols for Monday. You will have a short reading comprehension quiz on this reading on Monday. You will be able to use the reading on the quiz.

Posted by kmurr at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)

January 18, 2007

Thursday, January 18th: Early Russian History

Physical Geography Quiz

Good luck!!

Russia Chronology

We will finish the chronology activity from yesterday. Remember, the purpose of this activity is to introduce you to many different topics in Russian history. You don’t need to understand completely all of the topics at the end of the activity.

The Beginning

A couple of days ago, we discussed the “end” of Russian history. Today we will turn to the beginning of Russian history. Download this note guide so that you can organize your thoughts. You may also want to look at the following links. All of them will be used during the lecture.

Map of Kievan Rus

Church of the Transfiguration

Cyrillic Alphabet

Homework

Your countries quiz is tomorrow. Don’t forget to study.

Posted by kmurr at 9:16 AM | Comments (0)

January 17, 2007

Wednesday, January 17th: Russia Chronology

Homework

Your first geography quiz is tomorrow. It will cover the physical geography of Russia. Don’t forget to study!

Posted by kmurr at 9:58 AM | Comments (0)

January 15, 2007

Tuesday, January 16th: An Introduction to Russia

Beginning With the End

Homework

Here are some websites that might help you.

The Face of Russia

Russia and the Former USSR

You also have some Russia geography quizzes coming up. Your physical geography quiz will be on Thursday. Your countries quiz will be on Friday. Your cities quiz will be on Monday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:18 PM | Comments (0)

January 4, 2007

Thursday, January 4th: Terrorism - In the Eye of the Beholder?

Arab-Israeli Crisis Quiz

Good Luck!

What is terrorism?

Read about the following events and determine if each of these events represents an act of terrorism. Be sure that you can justify your decision.

1. Revolutionary War - Revolutionaries in the 13 colonies that became the United States used "guerilla" warfare in order to beat the British army. These tactics involved surprise attacks, such as revolutionaries ambushing British soldiers moving from place to place.

2. Attack on My Lai - This event took place in 1968 during the Vietnam War. U.S. soldiers were told that enemy soldiers were being harbored in the village of My Lai. U.S. Soldiers attacked the village in response. Many individuals, including women and children, who were not involved directly with the war were killed. More than 350 Vietnamese were killed in a single day. Some were shot as they tried to escape the homes that the American soldiers had set on fire. One American soldier said that he and his fellow soldiers were "going in there to give them a fight for what they had done to [his] buddies."

3. Algerian Independence Movement - The National Liberation Front used guerrilla warfare directed at French civilians living in Algeria in order to convince the French to give Algeria its independence.

4. Hamas Suicide Bombings - Hamas has organized suicide bombings against Israel. Hamas's goal is to replace Israel with a Palestinian state. Hamas uses suicide bombings directed at civilians and military targets to attempt to reach this goal.

5. Saddam Hussein's Methods of Rule - Saddam Hussein used horrifying tactics, including murder and torture, in order to control the people of Iraq.

6. Shock and Awe Campaign - At the beginning of the most recent war in Iraq, the United States staged a massive air raid on Baghdad in order to make the military and political officials in Baghdad fear the U.S. military.

Homework

Continue working on your Middle East Peace Conference Assignment. Your position paper is due next Tuesday.

You will need to write an essay outside of class for your final essay. The essay must be typed, using the Times New Roman font, 12-point. The essay must be double-spaced and can only be three pages. Margins must be 1 inch by 1 inch.

You must answer the following question:

Explain your personal position on each of the following three issues:

a. The establishment of an independent Palestinian state
b. The future of the old city of Jerusalem
c. The construction of a security barrier around the West Bank

One year from now, will the Middle East be a more or less peaceful region than it is today? Explain your answer.

I will be happy to look over drafts and to discuss your ideas with you. The essay must be written outside of class. In other words, you will not write this essay in class. This essay is due on Friday, January 12th at 3:30.

Posted by kmurr at 9:28 AM | Comments (77)

January 3, 2007

Wednesday, January 3rd: Word Day

You will have today to work on your Middle East Peace Conference Assignment. You should be researching your part and starting to answer the questions for the position paper assignment. I pasted the MEPC assignment below so that you have some of the links immediately available to you. Also, don't forget that you have a quiz on all of the Arab-Israeli crisis information tomorrow in class. You will not be able to use notes and you will not have a partner. DON'T FORGET TO STUDY!!

Template for the Position Paper

The Position Paper is the written part of the Middle East Peace Conference assignment. It is not an essay, but it is six paragraph answers to six questions. The questions and directions for this assignment are linked here.

Resources for the Middle East Peace Conference

What follows is a list of resources that you can use to complete your research for this assignment. I would look at all of these resources before the end of the quarter. Some will be more or less helpful depending on your assigned part.

BBC’s Middle East Crisis

This is an excellent source of information. It has country descriptions, leader descriptions, articles, maps and timelines that EVERY conference participant would find helpful. You might even want to start your research here.

The Online NewsHour Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

This site has descriptions of past attempts to make peace in the Middle East and descriptions of the key players in the conflict. It doesn’t have as much information as the BBC website, but I think everyone could find this site helpful.

The Online NewsHour Coverage of the Israeli-Hezbollah Clash

This site provides a lot of information about the latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. The archives section of this site might help each of you determine your character’s position on the latest round of fighting.

The Online NewsHour Coverage of Iran

This site focuses on the current state of Iran. This will, of course, help the Ahmadinejad character in both classes, but it might help other characters determine how to deal with Iran.

The Online NewsHour Coverage of Iraq

This site focuses on the current state of Iraq. This will help the Maliki character, but it might help other characters determine how to deal with Iraq.

The United States State Department Page on the Middle East Peace Process

This site will help the characters from the United States, Russia, Britain and the United Nations (The Quartet), but all characters should look at it. This describes the Quartet’s response to the crisis in the Middle East.

The Guardian’s Special Report Site on the Conflict in the Middle East

This site contains numerous newspaper articles about the latest issues in the Middle East. Look here for very up-to-date information. The Hamas, Hezbollah, Lebanese and Israeli characters may find this site especially helpful.

DON'T FORGET TO USE LEXIS-NEXIS. This is easily the best database available to you when working to find information about your people. You should search in the "news" section when doing your research.

Posted by kmurr at 9:18 AM | Comments (0)

January 2, 2007

Tuesday, January 2nd: MEPC Preparation

Recent Developments in the Arab-Israeli Crisis

We will finish up with the packet and the notes that we were taking before the break. Even in the last couple of weeks, there have been a number of important developments related to the Arab-Israeli crisis.

Work Time

We will be working on your position paper research. Use this time wisely. I will be available to answer questions. Remember, you earn points for staying on task.

Homework

You will have a quiz on Thursday on the Arab-Israeli crisis. It will cover all of the material in the packet and that we discussed today. You will not be able to use a partner or notes.

Your position paper is due one week from today. You need to begin working on this in earnest.

Posted by kmurr at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)

December 15, 2006

Homework for Winter Break

You don't have any homework that is due the day that you return. You should, however, use some time over break to begin researching your part for the Middle East Peace Conference. Use some of the websites that I provide below to start researching. Do a Google search on your person. Research on Lexis-Nexis. It would be excellent if you could look at the Position Paper questions and spend a few hours reading and researching. If you run into any problems, feel free to email me. I will be checking over break.

Make sure to relax and have fun, too!

Ms. Murr

Posted by kmurr at 2:14 PM | Comments (0)

December 13, 2006

Wednesday, December 13th: Introduction to the Middle East Peace Conference

Introduction to the Middle East Peace Conference

You will receive a copy of the directions for this assignment in class. You should read through this assignment sheet very carefully. It tells you exactly what you will be doing over the course of the next couple of weeks. After you have read it, we will talk about it as a class.

Bidding for Assignments

What follows is a list of roles for the Middle East Peace Conference. I will give a brief description of each part in class. Then I will hand out roles and there will be a short “trading period” during which you can trade with another student for a different part.

U.S. President George Bush:
United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan:
British Prime Minister Tony Blair:
Russian President Vladimir Putin:
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak:
Iraqi Prime Minister Jawad al-Maliki:
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:
Syrian President Bashar Assad:
Lebanese President Emile Lahoud:
Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya:
Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas:
Hezbollah Leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah:
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert:
Jordanian King Abdullah II:
Saudi Arabian King Abdullah:

Template for the Position Paper

Resources for the Middle East Peace Conference

BBC’s Middle East Crisis

The Online NewsHour Coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

The Online NewsHour Coverage of the Israeli-Hezbollah Clash

The Online NewsHour Coverage of Iran

This site focuses on the current state of Iraq. This will help the Maliki character, but it might help other characters determine how to deal with Iraq.

The United States State Department Page on the Middle East Peace Process

The Guardian’s Special Report Site on the Conflict in the Middle East

Posted by kmurr at 7:05 AM | Comments (0)

December 12, 2006

Tuesday, December 12th: Senate Foreign Relations Committee Convenes

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

We will meet to discuss the three options for action in Iraq. Be ready to discuss your option and to question the other two options. See yesterday's entry if you can't remember what group you are in.

Homework

Your Iran and Iraq quiz is tomorrow. It will cover everything that we did on Thursday, Friday, Monday and today. In other words, you have to study all of your notes and the activities that we did about Iran and Iraq. The quiz will be 15 points and you can't use notes.

Posted by kmurr at 12:27 PM | Comments (0)

December 11, 2006

Monday, December 11th: Iran and Iraq

Cities Quiz

Good luck!

Iran Negotiations

You will attend the Nuclear Proliferation Conference today. Be prepared to negotiate on behalf of your country. We will complete some pre-negotiations meetings and then two rounds of negotiations. Good luck.

Iraq Introductions

You will take a few notes on Iraq so that you have some background information for our Senate Foreign Relations Committee meeting tomorrow. Download the lecture guide here.

Homework

Your physical geography quiz is tomorrow. Don’t forget to study.

If you didn’t get a chance to do your Iraq readings over the weekend, do them tonight. Also, work on what you would like to say during your testimony tomorrow. Make sure that you understand the advantages of your assigned option and have some questions about the other options ready to go.

Option One

Lauren B, Jake G, Emma I, John N
Michelle A, Sarah D, Joe J, Vanick N, Maggie W

Option Two

Naomi B, Elle G, Gus L, Rovena M, Paloma S
Julie B, Nathan J, Karen , Nic M, Manila X

Option Three

Sarah C, Maggie F, John J, Aaron M, Zoe Q.
David C, Carolyn D, Tess F, Ellen L, Jack S.

Posted by kmurr at 9:19 AM | Comments (0)

December 7, 2006

Thursday, December 7th: Iran and the Axis of Evil

Stereotypes and Islam

We will finish our discussion from yesterday by trying to dispel some of the stereotypes that we discussed. Use the site linked to yesterday's entry to complete part of your research.

An Introduction to Iran

We are going to talk a little bit about Iran today. Here is the lecture guide. We will then discuss what we read about Iran.

Homework

Tomorrow we are going to have, what we are calling, an Iranian Nuclear Proliferation Conference. This conference will be good practice for the Middle East Peace Conference you will have at the end of the unit. You have been assigned to a country. Tonight, you will need to do the reading associated with the country. While you are doing the reading, you will want to fill out the reading guide. The completed reading guide will help you tomorrow as you negotiate during the conference.

Everyone should read the following article. Make sure that you read this article first.

Q&A: Iran Nuclear Standoff

Article for the United States:

The Likely U.S. Course on Iran: Go Slow

Article for Iran:

Iran Vows Won't Cede 'An Inch' in Face of Intimidation

Article for Israel:

Israel Raises Profile in Iran Fray

Article for European Union:

Key Powers to Seek Iran Sanctions

Upcoming Quizzes

Your countries quiz is tomorrow. Don't forget to study!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:14 AM | Comments (0)

December 6, 2006

Wednesday, December 6th: An Introduction to the Middle East

The Middle East: What do we know?

We will begin your lesson today by brainstorming about what you know about the Middle East. I will give you a blank piece of paper and ask you to make a concept map with the Middle East being the central concept. Then, we will create a class concept map to get a feel for where we are at.

Islam: What we don’t know.

Up until a few years ago, many Americans ignored this faith. 9/11, however, brought Islam to the forefront of many discussions in the United States. Unfortunately, many stereotypes exist about this faith and about followers of this faith. Today, we will develop a list of those stereotypes and then try to debunk those stereotypes using a short reading and a website linked here.

Homework

Just as you did during the Africa unit, you will need to complete three geography assessments during the Middle East unit. I will hand you the assignment in class (Sorry! You can't download it this time.).

The countries quiz will be on Friday, December 8th.

The cities quiz will be on Monday, December 11th.

The geographic features quiz will be on Tuesday, December 12th.

You will not need to turn in your practice map for this unit.

Read the timeline about Iran that is linked here. Please bring one question about the timeline to ask the class. In addition, bring notes highlighting what you think are the most important events in the timeline and why (have at least 3). The notes do not need to be in complete sentences. Be prepared to discuss the article. Spend between 25 and 35 minutes on this assignment.

Posted by kmurr at 9:14 AM | Comments (0)

December 4, 2006

Monday, December 4th: Is Debt Relief the Key?

Debt Relief

To complete our study of Africa, we will take a cursory look at debt relief, one of the "hottest" topics related to current African politics. First, let's answer the following questions as a class. Use the information in the Q&A article to find the answers.

To whom or what do African countries owe money?

If debts were cancelled, how would African countries benefit?

Can any poor country get debt relief? If not, which countries can receive this relief?

Now that we have the basic details, let's discuss whether or not we should do this. Consider the following questions.

Is this policy too condescending?

Does it encourage irresponsibility to simply get rid of debts?

Can debt relief help poor countries?

Is it the responsibility of the world's wealthiest countries to forgive poor countries' debts?

Will it hurt wealthy countries to forgive poor countries' debts?

Should wealthy countries force poor countries to do certain things in order to receive debt relief?

Homework
Your exam is tomorrow. Here are some things to keep in mind for writing a successful essay:

-You should answer the question in the thesis statement.
-Your paragraphs should follow the order of your thesis statements.
-In your paragraphs, tell the reader how the evidence you used helps answer the question.
-You do not need to be creative, just answer the question as clearly and accurately as possible using evidence from class to justify your answer.
-Your closing should bring your essay full circle and answer any opinion parts of the question that remain unanswered.

You will also have a multiple-choice test tomorrow. Here are some things that you should study for the exam. This list isn't exhaustive, but it should help you focus your studying.

Frantz Fanon
Kenneth Kaunda
Somalia
Conditions in Somalia prior to Operation Restore Hope
Justification for U.S. involvement in Somalia
The different goals of the mission in Somalia
Reasons for U.S. withdrawal from Somalia
Warlords
Operation Restore Hope
George Bush
Bill Clinton
Mission Creep
Nation-building
Aidid
PDD 25
Guidelines in PDD 25
Impacts of PDD 25
Rwanda
Conditions before colonization
Belgian colonial policies
Post independence policies
Events leading up to the genocide
How the genocide began and was carried out
International knowledge of what was going on in Rwanda
International response to Rwanda
Quota system
Scapegoat
Rwandan Patriotic Front
Hutu Power Movement
Arusha Accords
UNAMIR
Genocide Fax
Interhamwe
Dellaire
AIDS
Causes of the crisis
Proof that the crisis is a serious problem
Solutions to the crisis
PEPFAR – How it works, How it’s funded
Global Fund – How it works, How it’s funded
Nelson Mandela
Yoweri Museveni
AIDS crisis in South Africa
AIDS crisis in Uganda
Mbeki
Stigma
ABC program
Debt Relief

Posted by kmurr at 9:29 AM | Comments (0)

November 29, 2006

Wednesday, November 29th: Age of AIDS Continued

Age of Aids

We will finish watching sections from this video. Remember, you will be using the information from this video and the accompanying website to develop a solution to the AIDS crisis. Don’t forget to complete your chart while you are watching the video.

Solutions Session

You will get into a group of three to four in order to develop your solution. Once you get into your group, start developing your proposal. You will need to write your proposal in paragraph form. You need to make sure that you answer the following questions in your proposal:

-What are the goals of the program? Are you attempting to prevent the spread of AIDS, treat AIDS patients or both? Be sure to justify your choice.
-Which countries will be targeted? Poor countries? Countries with the highest rate of infection? Countries with the greatest potential of success?
-Who will implement your proposal? Africans? Americans? Another group?
-What will be the timeframe for your proposal? What do you want to accomplish and by when?
-How will you fund your proposal?

Be sure to use specific examples to support your conclusions.

Your proposal should be a minimum of 400 words and it will need to be complete by the end of class tomorrow. You will have some time to work during class tomorrow, but not the entire hour.

Homework

Work on your part of the solution proposal. Brainstorming ideas and making sure you have done all of the readings would be a helpful way to prepare for tomorrow's class. Doing this will allow you to use all of your work time to write your proposal. It is due at the end of class tomorrow.

This article about living with AIDS was in the Star Tribune today. I thought you might be interested.

Lastly, I moved your exam to next Tuesday. This should give us plenty of time to prepare.

Posted by kmurr at 9:26 AM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2006

Tuesday, November 28th: Age of AIDS

Homework

You need to prepare for tomorrow’s class by looking at two different parts of the Age of Aids website. First, spend 30 minutes looking at the maps at this link. Spend the majority of your time at the HIV/AIDS in the World map. Click on the countries in Africa and read about how the AIDS epidemic has evolved in those countries. Be sure to look at Botswana, Uganda and South Africa.

Second, read about the different sources of funding described at this part of the site. This reading is complicated, but do your best to understand how the Global Fund, PEPFAR, World Bank, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation operate.

Your second unit test is next Monday. Your test will have two parts. The first part of the test will be a twenty question multiple-choice test. The second part of the test will be an essay. This test will cover EVERYTHING that we have done since the last unit test. This includes decolonization, AIDS, Somalia and Rwanda.

You cannot use notes on the multiple-choice portion of the exam. You will be able to use a LIMITED number of notes for the essay exam. Please see the essay sheet for more information about the questions and for more information about what you can use on the exam.

Posted by kmurr at 9:51 AM | Comments (0)

November 27, 2006

Monday, November 27th: The United States on Trial

The United States on Trial

Both sides will get a little time to prepare and then the trial will begin.

Homework

You need to read the article from the Economist that I handed to you in class. Once you have read the article, try to put at least three ideas in each column of the chart I handed to you in class. In the “Proof that the AIDS Epidemic is a Major Crisis” column, put examples, facts, stories, etc. that provide evidence of the problems caused by the AIDS epidemic. In the “Causes of the AIDS Epidemic” column, list factors that have made the epidemic worse. For example, the article discusses how poverty makes it difficult for people to access the drugs that they need to treat AIDS. In the “Solutions to the AIDS Epidemic” column, write potential solutions to the AIDS crisis. These can be ideas in the article or your own ideas.

Posted by kmurr at 9:00 AM | Comments (0)

November 21, 2006

Tuesday, November 21st: Rwanda Continued

Anatomy of a Genocide

We will finish taking notes on the Rwandan genocide. These notes should help both sides to prepare for the debate tomorrow.

Homework

Now that you have the facts about what took place in Rwanda, you need to consider the U.S. reaction and whether it was negligent in its dealings with Rwanda. In order to do this, you will be taking on the role of a prosecuting attorney or a defense attorney. As an attorney your job will be to review this information and to build a case against the U.S. if you are a prosecutor or to defend the U.S. against a negligence charge if you are a defense attorney.

You need to prepare your case for Monday’s class. At the end of class today, you received your assignment for the debate. The half sheet of paper that you received says that you are either a prosecuting attorney (You will argue that the U.S. was negligent in its dealings with Rwanda.) or a defense attorney (You will argue that the U.S. was NOT negligent in its dealings with Rwanda.). You also received a document that could act as a piece of evidence in your case. You need to read this document and figure out how it could support your side of the debate or what it tells you about the other side’s arguments. Everyone has a different document, so don't worry if you have a document that is different from your neighbor's document.

Once you have read your document, think about the questions on the half sheet of paper. Then, brainstorm ideas that you can use to support your case. I expect a half sheet of notes by Monday from each of you. These should be your OWN ideas about what your side can do to win the debate.

This is a challenging assignment, but don't be afraid to get into it. Be creative in developing your ideas and think about all of the things that we have studied over the past few days when building your cases.

Posted by kmurr at 9:41 AM | Comments (0)

November 20, 2006

Monday, November 20th: Anatomy of a Genocide

Presidential Decision Directive 25

Let's discuss your homework from last night. Be ready to comment on whether or not you agree with PDD 25.

Genocide in Rwanda

Right now, I am going to give you some information about what happened in Rwanda in 1994. What we will discuss is horrifying, but we need to confront this history so that we can think about how the world responded to this situation and about how to prevent future "Rwandas" from taking place.

Use this note guide to help you follow the discussion.

Homework

You need to read the genocide fax and try to determine the significance of the document. The fax is a photocopy of a real document. This means that it is a little tough to read, but with a little effort, you can do it. Be ready to discuss this document tomorrow in class.

Posted by kmurr at 9:10 AM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2006

Friday, November 17th: Beyond Blackhawk Down

Ambush in Mogadishu

We will finish the movie that we started yesterday. Be ready to share answers and opinions as we discuss the questions associated with the movie.

Homework

In 1994, the Clinton administration released a major policy statement. This policy statement is titled Presidential Decision Directive 25. A summary of PDD 25 is linked here. Read the summary and then answer the questions that are typed below the summary. You should answer in complete sentences. Take no more and no less than 35 minutes to complete this assignment.

Here is the website associated with the movie "Ambush in Mogadishu." You used to be able to watch the movie online, but Frontline seems to have removed the movie from its site. The website, however, is very good.

Posted by kmurr at 9:12 AM | Comments (0)

November 15, 2006

Wednesday, November 15th: Is Violence the Answer?

Kenneth Kaunda and Frantz Fanon

Now that we have learned about the impacts of colonization, we need to talk about the end of colonization. During the 1950s and 1960s, a large number of African colonies achieved their independence. Many of these colonies obtained their independence through the use of violence. This use of violence flies in the face of what many of you may have learned about how to meet goals and deal with the problems facing you. Let's explore the assumption that violence is never the answer by discussing the writings (I will hand these out in class.) of two different individuals who wanted independence for African countries. We will have some quiet reading time in class and then you will get into groups of two to three to answer the following questions:

Kenneth Kaunda:

1. Would Kaunda discriminate against whites?

2. According to Kaunda, why have whites done what they have done? Are, according to Kaunda, whites evil?

3. What does Kaunda say the West could learn from Africa?

Frantz Fanon

1. Why do you think Fanon thinks decolonization must always be violent?

2. What does “the last shall be first and the first last” mean?

3. Should Africa just catch up to Europe?

Is Violence Ever the Answer?

Now that we have a basic understanding of these two authors’ ideas, let’s have a more general discussion about the role of violence in our lives. We will use some of the following questions to get started.

Do the ends justify the means?

Why do so many people in this country seem to prefer the use of non-violence?

Can non-violence work in a country that isn't a democracy?

Should those who use violence to achieve "worthy" goals be condemned?

Are there negative impacts to using violence in order to achieve "worthy" goals?

Should we always respond to violence with violence?

Homework

Read through these notes on the independence movements of Ghana, Algeria and the Belgian Congo. Try to compare and contrast these three independence movements as you read the information. Be prepared to answer questions about these notes tomorrow in class.

Posted by kmurr at 9:46 AM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2006

Friday, November 10th: Colonization in MPA

Let’s Practice Colonization

Today we will be conquering the seventh graders . . . well, we will be planning our colonization of the seventh graders. We have two major options when it comes to how to rule these students and we need to discuss these options. One option is called direct rule, while the other option in called indirect rule. I will explain the basics of these two options and then we will discuss the following questions:

-Which method gives the most power to the seventh graders? Could this be a problem?
-Which method gives us the most power? Why is this?
-Which method is the most cost effective for us?
-Which method will create the most support amongst the seventh graders? How could we take advantage of this?
-Which method is best for the seventh graders? Should we consider this?
-Which form of rule would be most approved of by the other grades? Why should we consider this issue?

Direct versus Indirect Control

We will review the characteristics of direct and indirect control. You will be working in pairs for part of this activity.

Writing Essays in Regional Studies

Your first essay exam is on Tuesday. You will have to write an in-class essay on one of three questions. I want to talk as a class about how to write an essay, so that you understand my expectations. If you haven’t already looked at it, make sure that you download and read the “How to Write” guide.

Homework

We will start this discussion on Monday. You are going to need to do a little bit of thinking about how European colonization could have had positive and negative impacts on Africa. You need to brainstorm about the political, economic and social impacts of colonization on Africa. You will need to be a little creative as you think about these impacts because we haven’t actually studied these impacts yet or read about them. Use the following questions to help your brainstorming.

Political
-Was there more or less conflict as a result of colonization?
-How could African governments have benefited from colonization?
-Were Africans able to control their own governments during colonization? How would this impact Africa?
-What impact did colonization have on equality?

Economic
-What did Europeans build in Africa that could have benefited African economies?
-What part of the African economies grew during colonization?
-Did trade with Europe increase or decrease as a result of colonization?
-Under the colonial system, who produced finished goods? How would this impact African economies?

Social
-Would colonization expose Africans to new ideas? Is this a positive or negative thing?
-What were the impacts of colonization on medicine and education for Africans?
-What were the psychological impacts of colonization? How would colonization make Africans feel?

Try to get at least two quality ideas in each box for Monday.

Aside from this assignment, study for the test. It is on Tuesday. Remember to make your note sheet for the multiple-choice test and to prepare for the essay test. Email me with any of your questions.

Posted by kmurr at 9:23 AM | Comments (0)

November 9, 2006

Thursday, November 9th: Imperialism in Africa

Notes on Imperialism

We will use the conclusions that you drew during the cartoon activity to add to a few notes on imperialism. Use this note guide to help organize your ideas.

Let’s Practice Colonization

Homework

Continue working on your exam preparation. You can now think about answering the first two essay questions.

Posted by kmurr at 9:54 AM | Comments (0)

November 6, 2006

Monday, November 6th: Reparations Debate

Current Events

We will talk for a moment about tomorrow's elections. Feel free to share your opinions about the candidates, issues, etc.

Atlantic Slave Trade Notes

We will finish the notes that we started on Friday. Don't forget to use your note guide.

Reparations Debate

Now that you have a more complete understanding of the European slave trade in Africa, let’s discuss one of the current debates associated with slavery. Specifically, I want to discuss the proposal to give the descendents of slaves money as compensation for the suffering of their ancestors. This financial compensation is called reparations. We will debate whether or not reparations should be given to the descendents of slaves. Think about the follow questions as we debate.

Does slavery continue to impact our society today? If so, how?

Should current generations be held responsible for past generations’ mistakes?

How much money should people receive? Can a value be placed on someone’s suffering?

Can the United States afford to pay reparations? Should this even be a consideration?

If the United States pays reparations to the descendents of slaves, will it have to pay reparations to other groups?

Homework

1. Study for your political geography quiz. It is tomorrow. It will cover the underlined cities and countries on the map assignment.

Posted by kmurr at 9:25 AM | Comments (0)

November 3, 2006

Friday, November 3rd: Civilization and the Slave Trade

African Civilizations

We will go over the civilizations assignment that you had to complete for homework. Remember that the purpose of this assignment is to think about Africa prior to the European slave trade and colonization.

Slavery in Africa

We will start talking about the European slave trade today. We will begin by analyzing a series of images associated with the slave trade. I will put you in groups of 2 -3 and have you answer four questions using the images. You will turn in your answers, so be sure to do your best work.

Notes on the Slave Trade

We will build on the images activity to create a more in-depth picture of the African slave trade. Download this note guide to help you take notes.

Homework

1. Your first geography quiz will be on Tuesday. It will cover the underlined cities and countries. DON'T FORGET TO STUDY.

2. Complete the two readings that I handed to you at the end of class. One of the readings provides you with some background information about the slave trade. The other discusses reparations for the descendents of slaves. Make sure that you determine whether or not you support reparations. We will debate about this policy on Monday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:20 AM | Comments (0)

November 1, 2006

Wednesday, November 1st: Civilization Through Art

Syllabus Questions

Do you have any questions about the syllabus? If you do, I will answer them right now!

Complete Our Discussion of Africa Statistics

For homework last night you were asked to finish guessing what each column represented. We will look over these last few columns right now.

Africa's Future

Using the conclusions you drew using the above data, begin to think about the future of Africa. Can many of the countries on the continent develop to the level of "first world countries?" Does this continent need substantial outside help? Should it receive this help?

Civilization Through “Art”

Draw a picture of the word civilization. In other words, draw what image or images come to mind when you hear the word civilization. On the back of your drawing, write a definition of the word civilization. We will use these pictures and definitions as the basis for our discussion.

Homework

Continue working on your practice map for Africa. It is due on Thursday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)

October 18, 2006

Middle East Peace Conference Update - Wednesday, October 18th

Over the long weekend you should be working on two things. First, you should have a pretty strong draft of your Middle East Position Paper completed by Monday. This will allow you to ask questions of me and of your peers before you have to turn in the assignment. That means over the weekend you need to complete any research about your character and complete your answers to the position paper questions. Remember, that you need to write a paragraph (at least four sentences) response for each of the last six questions. You need to make sure that you justify all of your answers and that you use specific examples when possible.

Second, you should be working on your final essay for Regional Studies. It is due one week from Friday. You will write this essay outside of class. I would be happy to make comments on drafts or outlines.

Posted by kmurr at 9:38 AM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2006

Final Essay for Regional Studies

You must answer the following question:

Explain your personal position on each of the following three issues:

a. The establishment of an independent Palestinian state
b. The future of the old city of Jerusalem
c. The construction of a security barrier around the West Bank

One year from now, will the Middle East be a more or less peaceful region than it is today? Explain your answer.

I will be happy to look over drafts and to discuss your ideas with you. The essay must be written outside of class. In other words, you will not write this essay in class. The essay is due October 27th at 3:30 PM.

Posted by kmurr at 12:05 PM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2006

Tuesday, October 10th: Confronting Terrorism

Middle East Cities Geography Quiz: Good Luck!!

What is terrorism? A Continuation From Yesterday

Read about the following events and determine if each of these events represents an act of terrorism. Be sure that you can justify your decision.

5. Saddam Hussein's Methods of Rule - Saddam Hussein used horrifying tactics, including murder and torture, in order to control the people of Iraq.

History of Terrorism and Motivations Behind Terrorism

I will use a few PowerPoint slides to introduce you to a couple of different definitions of terrorism and also to introduce you to a very basic history of terrorism.

What can be done to deal with terrorism?

Let's think about what we have discussed today and about our own recent experiences with terrorism in order to develop a list of ways that we could deal with terrorism. I encourage you to think outside the box during this discussion. In other words, let's move beyond simply targeting Osama bin Laden and think of a variety of ways to deal with terrorism.

Homework

Your Middle East physical geography quiz is tomorrow. Don’t forget to study for it. Your essay revision assignment is due on Thursday. For this assignment, you need to revise the green highlighted paragraph in your last Africa essay (you should have received this via email over the weekend). The directions for this assignment are linked here.

Posted by kmurr at 9:32 AM | Comments (0)

October 6, 2006

Friday, October 6th: Nuclear Proliferation Conference

Nuclear Proliferation and Iran

On Monday, you will have a quiz on Iran and Iraq. The quiz will be worth about 15 points and is not intended to be extremely difficult. We are quizzing you to make sure that you understand the basics about both countries. There will be a few fill-in-the-blank questions and a short-answer question. Review the material from Iran and Iraq and you will be fine.

Your cities geography quiz is on Tuesday.

Your physical geography quiz is on Wednesday.

Posted by kmurr at 10:15 AM | Comments (0)

October 5, 2006

Thursday, October 5th: Iran and the Axis of Evil

Today is your first geography quiz.

We are going to talk a little bit about Iran today. Here is the lecture guide. We will then discuss what we read about Iran.

Homework
Tomorrow we are going to have, what we are calling, an Iranian Nuclear Proliferation Conference. This conference will be good practice for the Middle East Peace Conference you will have at the end of the unit. You have been assigned to a country. Tonight, you will need to do the reading associated with the country. While you are doing the reading, you will want to fill out the reading guide. The completed reading guide will help you tomorrow as you negotiate during the conference.

Everyone should read the following article. Make sure that you read this article first.

Q&A: Iran Nuclear Standoff

Article for the United States:

The Likely U.S. Course on Iran: Go Slow

Article for Iran:

Iran Vows Won't Cede 'An Inch' in Face of Intimidation

Article for Israel:

Israel Raises Profile in Iran Fray

Article for European Union:

Key Powers to Seek Iran Sanctions

Upcoming Quizzes

We will move the geography quizzes back by a day. The cities quiz will be on Tuesday and the physical features quiz will be on Wednesday. We will have a short quiz on Iran and Iraq on Monday. This isn't going to be a full blown test. It is just to make sure that you have been paying attention during these two lessons.

Group Assignments for Block Two

Israel: Marty, Sami, Christina, Alex, Erin
U.S.: Sasha, Aisha, Jasmine, Eric, Andrea
Iran: Nathan, Kelsey, Holly, Jason, Bree
EU: Justin, Jennifer, Abby, Julian, Taylor

Group Assignments for Block Four

Israel: Eric, Jack, Alex, Steph
U.S.: Emily B., Hannah, Kristy
Iran: Emily C., Brenna, Peter
EU: Pete S., Andy, Kay, Sarah, Ben

Posted by kmurr at 8:53 AM | Comments (0)

October 4, 2006

Wednesday, October 4th: Poetry and Iraq

We will start out today by taking a closer look at the National Intelligence Estimate of 2006.

After that, we will look at the following chart about the insurgency in Iraq. Please download the document; it will be a handy reference for today and many other parts of our Middle East Unit. You can find the chart here.

Finally, in your groups from yesterday (Insurgents, Iraqi Government, US Soldiers, Iraqi Citizens) you will write a dialog poem. A dialog poem looks like this:
US: We liberated your country.
Iraq: You invaded our country.

One “side” of the poem will be from your assigned group’s perspective and the other “side” of the poem will be from the U.S. government’s perspective. This poem will help you to understand how your group feels about the U.S. presence in Iraq. Your group will need 10 stanzas (20 total lines). You will then need to present your poem to the class.

Homework

Read the timeline about Iran that is linked here. Please bring one question about the timeline to ask the class. In addition, bring notes on the article highlighting what you think are the most important events in the timeline and why (have at least 3). The notes do not need to be in complete sentences. Be prepared to discuss the article. Spend between 25 and 35 minutes on this assignment. Don’t forget that your Middle East countries quiz is tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 9:07 AM | Comments (0)

October 3, 2006

Tuesday, October 3rd: Iraq Before the Invasions

Today we will look at Iraq. You will need to download, open and fill out the lecture guide through out the day today.

We will cover information about Iraq from just after World War 1 until the present.

Tomorrow we will look more at the insurgency in Iraq.

Homework

You will need to read the articles for your assigned group and take notes on the articles. As you are reading your articles, think about the following questions:

Who is a part of my assigned group?
How does my group feel about the war in Iraq?
What role does my group play in the war in Iraq?
How has my group been impacted by the war in Iraq?
Does my group want the war in Iraq to continue?
Did my group support the U.S. invasion of Iraq?

Insurgents:

-Insurgents Now Outnumber Coalition Forces
-Guide: Armed Groups in Iraq

Iraqi Government:

-2006 Ambassador Speeches
-Iraqi Politician Complains of US Raid

U.S. Soldiers:

-U.S. Troops in Iraq: 72% Say End War in 2006
-Abizaid: Insurgency Still Strong

Iraqi Citizens:

This group only has one article because their article is longer

-New WPO Poll: Iraqi Public Wants Timetable for US Withdrawal, But Thinks US Plans Permanent Bases in Iraq

Your notes don't have to be in complete sentences. You should spend a minimum of 25 minutes on this assignment, but no more than 45 minutes on this assignment.

Posted by kmurr at 9:33 AM | Comments (0)

October 2, 2006

Monday, October 2nd: Stereotypes and the Middle East

Today we will talk about Middle East stereotypes. We will look at questions like, where do our stereotypes come from and what effects do these stereotypes have? To do this we will brainstorm about the stereotypes that exist about the Middle East.

Once we have a list of stereotypes, we will work to find some information that counters these stereotypes. The following two websites might help you as you attempt to do this. You may also want to use Google, but be very careful about the sources of information that you choose to use. A site is credible because it is dated, cites sources, does not hide its authors and gives contact information about who created the site.

Global Connections

http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=283

Homework

You don't have any homework that is due tomorrow. You should start studying for your geography quizzes. There will be three quizzes and the quizzes will begin on Thursday.

October 5th: Countries Quiz
October 6th: Cities Quiz
October 9th: Physical Geography Quiz

Posted by kmurr at 9:52 AM | Comments (1)

September 26, 2006

Tuesday, September 26th: Debt Relief in Africa

Today we talked about countries and their debt. We looked at institutions like the World Bank and IMF. Feel free to check out their websites- www.worldbank.org and www.imf.org if you want more information on these organizations.

Homework

Tomorrow we are going to have an academic controversy on this topic. An academic controversy is like a small debate. We will talk about this more before the exercise. The question we will look at is should African debt be forgiven? So, you will need some more background information for Wednesday. Please read the following articles:

Factsheet: The World Bank: Hazardous to Africa’s Health
IMF Threat on G8 Proposal of Debt Cancellation

The articles are short. Take notes as you read them. Ask yourself when you are reading the articles, what are the main points of these articles? What information can I use to debate why African debt should not be forgiven? What information can I use to debate why African debt should be forgiven? Come to class with these ideas written down.

If you are a little confused about debt relief, feel free to skim the articles linked below. They have some helpful background information about the current proposals.

Q&A African Debt Relief
UK Pushing for Africa Africa Debt Plan

The homework seems long but it should take no longer than 30 minutes.

After we finish talking about African debt, we will review for the exam. Remember that the exam is Thursday. Here are the essay questions again.

Posted by kmurr at 9:51 AM | Comments (0)

September 25, 2006

Fourth Block Proposals and Comment Area

This is where I will paste the fourth block proposals. If you are in fourth block, make your comments here. If you are in second block, scroll down and make your comment in the second block area. Remember, your comments must be five sentences and must answer one of the following questions:

-Which of the solutions will be most effective and why?
-Are there factors that contribute to the AIDS crisis (poverty, misconceptions, etc.) that groups are failing to address in their solutions?
-What is most difficult about developing a solution to the AIDS crisis?
-Which of the solutions is most realistic?
-Which of the solutions would get the most support from the American people? Why is this important?

Feel free to respond to other people's ideas. This is supposed to be an online discussion. Your comment must be made by the start of class tomorrow.

In order to post a comment, click on the “comments” link. Then scroll to the bottom of the page. Put your first name and last initial in the “name” box and your email address in the “email address” box. You can skip the URL box. Write your comment in the “comments” box and hit “Post.” You are done!!

Proposal One

Which Countries?

We are choosing to target South Africa, India, United States, Mozambique, Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Tanzania, Kenya because these all are nations with 1,000,000 cases or more of HIV/AIDS. We are hoping to create awareness and prevention groups by bringing this topic to the surface in these countries. With creating awareness we hope to decrease the amount of new cases in these countries. With getting political leaders involved in prevention this will create a sense of national awareness. With these numbers decreasing we hope that number of people with AIDS will drop in these countries. We also hope that supplying drugs to those infected will help the people who cannot afford them in these countries

Timeframe

Our plan is that by the year 2010, we will have distributed proper medicines for HIV/AIDS to 5 million people in the world, such as the triple cocktail to extend lives and AZT for pregnant women. We also hope that by the year 2010 at least 10 million people around the world will learn about HIV/AIDS, and how to prevent getting it by urging political leaders to promote the knowledge of the disease. Unlike others, we want to promote abstinence and safer sex, not just abstinence. By doing this, we hope that in 25 years there will be less than 75 million people infected with HIV/AIDS.

Goals

Our goals for the prevention of AIDS start with awareness and condoms. We want to educate people about how to make sure you don’t get AIDS, through abstinence, loyalty, and condoms. By doing this, people are less likely to be involved in activities that will spread AIDS, so it will slow the progress of the virus. We will also provide AZT so that the virus isn’t spread to children and babies. The more children that survive without AIDS in their life, the more people there are to work and lessen poverty. We will set up support groups that people can join to get the necessary items and knowledge to not get AIDS. It is important for people to support each other and to talk about the problem. For those who have AIDS, we will provide treatment, but our main goal is prevention. Those who already have AIDS will not get cured, and we need to focus on making sure that no one else gets it.

Who will implement?

Those who implement the plan will be Africans. People don’t like to listen to us because we don’t really know how they feel. If they hear the facts from their own people, they will be more likely to listen and take it to heart. We may need Americans to teach the African volunteers first, and then they can go and help their people. If they need it, we can send in Americans to help out.

Funding

In order to help the AIDS crisis, evidently money needs to be involved. We have a complex plan to help AIDS that involves providing many things to many people, including treatment and education. We need funding for all of this. PEPRAR will be a great source, because it has already pledged 15 billion dollars to AIDS funding. I am certain PEPFAR will help and will be happy with our prevention goals. We will get congress’s approval for this by stressing our abstinence and prevention. We cannot just survive on funding from PEPFAR. It would be very helpful to use the Global Fund for AIDS. This is because they share our goal of sending some treatments, but mostly prevention, including counseling, education, and support. But, PEPFAR may run out by 2008, so we will also need more funding after that, so then we will turn to the Global Fund more, and also we will make our own donation program that will encourage donations nationwide.

Proposal Two

The goal of this plan is to help prevent, treat, and educate about HIV and AIDS. We will help to educate about HIV and AIDS because there are many misconceptions about this illness including rumors of washing after sex to help prevent this, that HIV and AIDS are not connected, and that this is not a serious illness. Also, we will not pour money into the idea of abstinence. We will not put money into this not because it is not a good idea, but because it does not work. Instead we will be marketing towards practicing safe sex with a condom. More money will be put into treatment obviously because so many people are not receiving the much needed antiretrovirals.

We hope to accomplish our solution by the end of 2008. This is when George Bush has to give up office, and all that he’s done for the Aids crisis might be changed by the next president. If we accomplish our task by the end of 2008, then we can still use Bush’s program PEPFAR (his program to solve AIDS) for money, since he is giving 15 Billion to them for the AIDS crisis. We can also use congress for money and the Global Funds that we can take out of for AIDS. It will take a lot of money, but there are enough deposits that we can take out of to do it.

The U.S. is going to implement this proposal. The U.S. is going to implement it because we have the money and if we implement it we will know where the money goes. Also if we carry out this plan ourselves we know that our plan is being carried out exactly how we want it to be carried out. If somebody like Mbeki received all this money he may not put it to its best use. Aids is spreading almost everywhere and it is getting even worse than it already is in Africa. Mbeki also said that H.I.V. no connection to aids and he got rid of the drugs to help you live longer with the disease.

Proposal Three

The goals of the program are to prevent a rapid increase in the number of AIDS cases in the world by educating the people about AIDS and how it is spread and offering antiretroviral drugs to those already infected. We will have volunteering and medical help available to the public for low costs due to poverty and low paying labor and jobs. These things are very good for the people and the country because it will greatly help create the correct conditions for a world where AIDS is no longer an issue. The main problem is the need for funding, which we will hopefully lessen by focusing primarily on countries other health organizations are ignoring.

The countries which our plan will target are the countries in which we will be able to do the most good and make the most significant change through preventing a rapid rise in AIDS cases in that country and treating the current cases.. The three countries which we will plan to aid are China, India, and the United States. With almost every other AIDS organization focusing primarily on Africa, more attention on countries already receiving help would not be as beneficial as helping a country that has been previously ignored in the AIDS crisis; that is why we will focus on helping China and the United States. In China and India, the number of AIDS infections is just waiting to go through the roof, and the United States, although we think that we can handle the AIDS crisis just by using our current healthcare system, needs to focus on getting AIDS completely under control before we can dedicate ourselves to helping others.

We will fund our proposal through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation because the way that they use their funds to battle AIDS agrees better with our policy than PEPFAR, the Global Fund, and the World Bank, and they have an even spread of prevention and treatment. Because we are going to focus just on three countries, the Global Fund would not agree with our plan, seeing as how it gives aid to every country in need. PEPFAR would cause too many ties to the government and would require that our proposal get through congress, which would mean that we would have to include things such as abstinence-based education classes. Finally, the World Bank focuses mainly on countries that don’t have a stable healthcare, which the countries we want to focus on do.

The people who will be carrying out the AIDS program will be partly the work of the United States and partly the work of the governments of the involved countries as well as the people of the specific countries we are working on. As shown by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, direct help from the government of the involved country is very effective. The reason we are avoiding Africa is because so many organizations are basing all of their relief efforts there.

Posted by kmurr at 8:03 PM | Comments (16)

Second Block Proposals and Comment Area

This is where I will paste the second block proposals. If you are in second block, make your comments here. Remember, your comments must be five sentences and must answer one of the following questions:

Feel free to respond to other people's ideas. This is supposed to be an online discussion. Your comment must be made by the start of class tomorrow.

Proposal One

The goal of our program is to treat and prevent AIDs. Even if we treat people infected with AIDs, we are only prolonging their lives not actually curing them. If we teach people about prevention then we are potentially saving their lives. AIDs is a death sentence to anyone who is infected, the only thing we can do is prolong their lives and stop other people from getting AIDs.

Our plan would give 6 billion dollars to the Global Fund and 7 billion to individual countries. We think that the Global Fund does a good job of giving money to individual countries but we think that the Global Fund is focused too much on treatment and not enough money on prevention. The money that would be given to individual countries would total 15 billion. We wouldn’t give money to the governments of these individual countries because we believe that if the government doesn’t support the education of people about AIDs then they might do something else with the money. We would instead give the money to private hospitals, including church hospitals.

Even if you treat someone with AIDs they will eventually die of AIDs, so if we focus on prevention in countries where AIDs has not infected as many people, then we can stop AIDs from becoming an even bigger concern. In some Asian and Middle Eastern countries and a few other countries, AIDs isn’t a huge problem so we would spend more money on prevention and less on treatment. We would spend about 30 percent of the money on treatment and 70 percent of the money on treatment. Spending more money on prevention would help keep the number of AIDs cases at a minimum.

India and countries located in Africa, where the need for treatment is greater, we would spend 40 percent of our money on treatment and 60 percent on prevention. We think that in these countries it’s more important to treat the people who are infected because there are so many of them. If we only focused on prevention in countries that have such high cases of AIDs, we wouldn’t have much of an impact because so many people would die quickly because they already have AIDs.

The method in which we would try to educate people about AIDs and the prevention of AIDs would be similar to the method that was used in Uganda. People in Uganda actually went out to the small towns and talked directly to the people in a friendly but educational manner. The volunteers told Ugandans about the ABC plan. The ABC plan is to be abstinent, be faithful, or use condoms. This method worked well because people learned about how to prevent AIDs but they didn’t feel that people were looking down on them. We would try the same method, because we think that the key to stop AIDs from becoming an even bigger pandemic that prevention is key.

We would fund our proposal by asking major companies for donations. We would especially target companies with bad reputations (drug and cigarette companies), by pressuring them and showing them how generous donations would improve their reputations. We would also put up moneyboxes in public places and stores that people often visit, asking people to donate money to our proposal. We would try to enlist celebrities, like Bono, who could donate money and tell people about the cause.

We think that the best way to implement our plan would have the Africans carry out our proposal. If Africans carried out the plan then they wouldn’t feel that we were looking down on them and it would prevent the U.S. from getting in a difficult situation, like having to choose between the governments that don’t really want our help and the people who do.

We think that best way to prevent AIDs and treat AIDs would be with a long term plan. That way we won’t burn out all of the money really fast in five or two years but rather continue and constantly support countries over a period of eight or seven years.

We hope that by the year 2014 the percentage of people living with AIDs in the countries that money was given would be under 7 percent. Ideally the number of people living with AIDs would be 0, but it isn’t and probably won’t be for a long time, so the best we can do for now is educate people about the prevention of AIDs and treat people who already have the disease.

Proposal Two

In our program solve the AIDS crisis, we decided to focus on both treatment and prevention of AIDS. To prevent it from spreading, we will educate both the people and the government. In order for us to go into the country and educate the people within about AIDS, we need permission of the government of the country. We would also have to convince the governments in denial that AIDS is a problem in their country that it is a major pandemic on a global scale and preventing AIDS by educating the people of Africa is the first step to ending it. As for preventing it amongst the common people, telling them in school would not work as a lot of Africans do not attend school or children would just not understand the importance. Making speeches and programs at churches across sub-Saharan countries would get across. The programs would be about abstinence, only having one sex partner, and using condoms to prevent AIDS from spreading. Also, we would fund local hospitals so they can get people tested for HIV. As for treatment, we would give money to hospitals so they can be able to afford the drugs for AIDS patients. Giving them money to afford better technology would also be crucial not only in testing for HIV, but also in storing the medication.

This program will be targeting mostly African countries. But, we would give different amount of money to different countries. Deciding the amount of money to go to different countries would be how poor the country is, the countries with highest rate of infection, the countries with the greatest potential of success. Same thing with the education, if we educated the countries that had the most people infected about how to protect yourself, abstinence, about how it is spread, that rape and multiple partners can cause it, we might be able to stop it spreading, because, people that know that they have it, would be more careful, use a condom, and only have one sex partner, and wouldn’t spread. For those that don’t have AIDS/HIV, or don’t know that they do, give them the chance to be tested for it, get treatment, and all of them would have the chance to be educated, from hospitals, school, work, and church

We would fund the Africa for as long as it takes at the max of 10 years and then. One Africa has most of the aids epidemic under control. We would help leave Africa where they can support and control their own country. After leaving Africa we would convince that Aids and many other diseases are very important to concentrate on and it we should convince that the whole world should donate the most amount of money that we can so that anyone that is suffering with any kind of disease can access it and support only diseases that need support and funding.

We would begin funding by convincing the US that they should help to fund and remind them if we do not fund it eventually the human population will come to a collapse.
Then we would slowly convince that this is a very important issue to focus on.
Eventually we will convince most of the world’s countries how important this is and why they should support it. With the help of other countries, we could successfully bring this AIDS pandemic under control in Africa. Hopefully other countries will want to help. Helping to fund this program could also improve your political image. Assistance in the controlling of this pandemic would look good to other countries. Also, if we help Africa, they may be more inclined to give us assistance in future times of need. Once we have gotten the AIDS crisis pretty much under control in Africa, we will provide funding and services to other countries with regards to the AIDS crisis, helping Africa is an opportunity for other countries to share their problem wih the AIDS crisis so that we can help them. Will the help of other countries around the world, we could potentially bring the AIDS pandemic under control so that we can focus on other issues.

Proposal Three

We are attempting to prevent and treat patients with our proposal. Because when you prevent it you keep it from growing any bigger than it already is. Then we will treat it to allow the problem to begin to decrease. If you focus on just one it will continue to grow because people will either not know what causes AIDS and will not be aware of it or if we just prevent the people with it will die and nothing will have really gotten better. So if we give equal funding to both then the problem will begin to decrease in size and eventually it will not be as big of problem in the future.

UNAIDS’s Global Fund will implement our proposal. They will distribute our proposal to not just Africa but the other 180 countries across the world. Whit UNAIDS distributing the money, we will not have to worry about countries and/or other organizations being mad at the US for not giving them money because by giving money to UNAUDS, it will insure that all the organizations in the 180 countries will get equal amounts of money.
We will be funding all of the countries. We will give all of our money to the Global Fund and have them distribute it. The total amount of money will be decided by however much we can give. We will ask companies to create their own foundations in order to pay us. Big companies such as Target, Best Buy and McDonalds will be asked to donate money to give to us, which we will then be giving to the Global Fund. We are hoping to raise over 50 billion dollars do distribute world wide.

The time frame for our proposal will be over the next four years. By the time we graduate in 2010 we want to have all the money we can. We are trying to get as much money as we can. With in the next four years we believe that we can get enough money to help out, and maybe actually make a difference.

We will try to fund this by asking big companies, and celebrities to donate as much as they can. This will make them look good, and they would probably be able to give lots of money. Big companies with a bad reputation could make them look a lot better. Many people in these companies and these celebrities identify this as a problem and this would be an easy way for them to help this pandemic.

Proposal Four

Our goal is to reduce AIDS and distribute AZT and the triple cocktail as well as watches to the people who take the medicine; funding will also go to educating the inhabitants of the countries on prevention of AIDS, how AIDS is passed and AIDS testing. This is the best way to go because it helps the infected people and helps prevent the spread of AIDS. We also plan to donate money to the Global fund. Funding will be provided by the Global Fund as well as Bono and will also be attempted to be gained from Bill Gates. Another option for funding will be to receive donations from sporting events such as the World Series and the super bowl. We will mainly target the countries with the highest rate of infection such as South Africa, India, Nigeria, and Tanzania, as well as other impoverished countries throughout the world. The original targeted countries also are currently receiving the lowest financial support and the least amount of drugs. These selected top priority countries also have the highest number of AIDS or HIV deaths in the world. African health and religious organizations will carry out this plan, doing it the African way. This project should be carried out from 2007 and end in six years (2013) although it may be continued if insufficient progress is made, or if the need arises to activate this plan in even more countries. Both presidential candidates must agree to continue this project because the elections occur during this project. We want to distribute medicine to infected people as well as educate people of AIDS awareness and ways of infection. This way we can decrease stigma about the disease and those who have it, encouraging them to seek treatment and encouraging those who might have it, to seek testing. If the people who might have AIDS will be encouraged to seek testing because there will be no reason for them not to because it will be known that you can not get AIDS from sitting next to a person. We also need to educate the scientists who are denying the link between HIV and AIDS. The World Health Organization also needs to hire more scientists to assist us in this project. This is our plan to stop the spread of HIV and AIDS in Africa as well as other places in the world.

Posted by kmurr at 7:54 PM | Comments (16)

Monday, September 25th: Age of AIDS Continued

Age of Aids

Solutions Session

Your proposal should be a minimum of 400 words. You need to email me your proposal by 7:00 tonight.

Homework

The first part of your homework is to finish your proposal and email it to me by 7:00 PM tonight. The second part of your homework is to post a comment to the “Solutions Entry” on this blog (see above). Your comment should be at least five sentences long. Your comment should answer one or more of the following questions:

Your comment must be made by the start of class tomorrow.

Finally, you should continue to prepare for Thursday’s exam. Don’t forget to look at both of the essay questions.

Posted by kmurr at 9:32 AM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2006

Friday, September 22nd: Age of AIDS

Homework

You need to prepare for Monday’s class by looking at two different parts of the Age of Aids website. First, spend 30 minutes looking at the maps at this link. Spend the majority of your time at the HIV/AIDS in the World map. Click on the countries in Africa and read about how the AIDS epidemic has evolved in those countries. Be sure to look at Botswana, Uganda and South Africa.

Your second unit test is next Thursday. Your test will have two parts. The first part of the test will be a twenty question multiple-choice test. The second part of the test will be an essay. This test will cover EVERYTHING that we have done since the last unit test. This includes decolonization, AIDS, Somalia and Rwanda.

Posted by kmurr at 9:59 AM | Comments (0)

September 20, 2006

Wednesday, September 20th: Rwanda Continued

Anatomy of a Genocide

We will finish taking notes on the Rwandan genocide. These notes should help both sides to prepare for the debate tomorrow.

Homework

You need to prepare a half a page of notes for the trial tomorrow. Your notes should be a list of arguments that could support your side of the trial. Your notes do not need to be written in complete sentences. You will be expected to make two comments during the trial, so the more notes that you have, the more easily you will be able to make your comments.

Posted by kmurr at 7:15 PM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2006

Tuesday, September 19th: Anatomy of a Genocide

Presidential Decision Directive 25

Let's discuss your homework from last night. Be ready to comment on whether or not you agree with PDD 25.

Genocide in Rwanda

Use this note guide to help you follow the discussion.

Homework

You need to prepare your case for tomorrow's class. At the end of class today, you received your assignment for the debate. The half sheet of paper that you received says that you are either a prosecuting attorney (You will argue that the U.S. was negligent in its dealings with Rwanda.) or a defense attorney (You will argue that the U.S. was NOT negligent in its dealings with Rwanda.). You also received two documents. Everyone received the "genocide fax." Everyone needs to understand this document for tomorrow. You also received an additional document that could act as a piece of evidence in your case. You need to read this document and figure out how it could support your side of the debate. Everyone has a different document, so don't worry if you have a document that is different from your neighbor's document.

Once you have read both of the documents, think about the questions on the half sheet of paper. Then, brainstorm ideas that you can use to support your case. I expect a half sheet of notes by Thursday from each of you. These should be your OWN ideas about what your side can do to win the debate.

Posted by kmurr at 9:21 AM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2006

Friday, September 15th: Beyond Blackhawk Down

Independence Movements in Africa

We will finish our discussion about the potential for justifiable violence. Be ready to discuss the notes that you read for homework and the readings that we did yesterday in class.

Introduction to Somalia

In December of 1992, George Bush (the outgoing president of the United States) sent a peacekeeping force of U.S. soldiers into Somalia. In October of 1993 these peacekeeping soldiers (by then under the control of President Bill Clinton) were involved in a fierce battle in Somalia's capital city of Mogadishu. This battle, which was depicted in the popular movie Blackhawk Down, had a profound effect on the U.S. view of the world.

In order to more fully understand this story, you need some background information on Somalia. In order to obtain this information, we will watch parts of the Frontline production "Ambush in Mogadishu." Download these questions and answer them as we watch the movie. We will stop and discuss the movie at a number of different points.

Homework

There is no homework for the weekend. Enjoy!

Posted by kmurr at 9:22 AM | Comments (0)

September 14, 2006

Thursday, September 14th: Is Violence the Answer?

Kenneth Kaunda and Frantz Fanon

Kenneth Kaunda:

1. Would Kaunda discriminate against whites?

2. According to Kaunda, why have whites done what they have done? Are, according to Kaunda, whites evil?

3. What does Kaunda say the West could learn from Africa?

Frantz Fanon

1. Why do you think Fanon thinks decolonization must always be violent?

2. What does “the last shall be first and the first last” mean?

3. Should Africa just catch up to Europe?

Is Violence Ever the Answer?

Do the ends justify the means?

Why do so many people in this country seem to prefer the use of non-violence?

Can non-violence work in a country that isn't a democracy?

Should those who use violence to achieve "worthy" goals be condemned?

Are there negative impacts to using violence in order to achieve "worthy" goals?

Should we always respond to violence with violence?

Homework

Posted by kmurr at 9:07 AM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2006

Monday, September 11th: Assessing the Impacts of Colonialism

Guest speaker....

I have to stay home today because Ben is sick. Mr. Vergin will be your teacher. Be nice to him and listen.

9-11 Five Years Later

As you probably know, the attacks of 9-11 took place five years ago today. We will spend a lot of time discussing this during the Middle East unit, but we can take a few minutes to reflect on the impacts of 9-11 today.

Direct versus Indirect Control

We will revisit our plans for colonization and then review the characteristics of direct and indirect control. You will be working in pairs for part of this activity.

Writing Essays in Regional Studies

Your first essay exam is on Wednesday. You will have to write an in-class essay on one of three questions. I want to talk as a class about how to write an essay, so that you understand my expectations. If you haven’t already looked at it, make sure that you download and read the “How to Write” guide.

The Impacts of Colonization

We will start this discussion today and finish it tomorrow. You are going to need to do a little bit of thinking about how European colonization could have had positive and negative impacts on Africa. You are going to get into a group of three to four and brainstorm about the political, economic and social impacts of colonization on Africa. You are going to need to be a little creative as you think about these impacts because we haven’t actually studied these impacts yet or read about them. Use the following questions to help your brainstorming.

Homework

Study for the test. It is on Wednesday. Remember to make your note sheet for the multiple-choice test and to prepare for the essay test. Email me with any of your questions.

If you didn’t finish your brainstorming for the colonial ledger, do that for homework. We will finish this discussion tomorrow in class.

Posted by kmurr at 8:25 AM | Comments (0)

September 8, 2006

Friday, September 8th: Practicing Colonization

Exam Discussion

We discussed Wednesday's exam yesterday in fourth block, but not during second block. So, during second block today we will talk about your first exam.

Notes on Imperialism

We will use the conclusions that you drew during the cartoon activity to create a few notes on imperialism. Use this note guide to help organize your ideas.

Let’s Practice Colonization

Homework

Begin preparing for the exam. Start putting together your sheet of notes for the multiple-choice test. Also, start thinking about which essay question you are going to answer. You can now answer the first and second questions. You may even want to begin writing your outline for your essay. If you would like to do this, you might want to look at some of my guidelines for writing an essay. We will go over these on Monday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:16 AM | Comments (0)

September 7, 2006

Thursday, September 7th: Imperialism in Africa

Physical Geography Quiz

Good luck!

The Search for Facts in the Funnies

You will complete a fact-finding mission in a small group today. You will use a series of cartoons to determine as many facts as you can about European imperialism in Africa. All of the cartoons were drawn in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s and all of them deal with imperialism. You will also look at an excerpt from a poem and at an advertisement for soap. As you look at all of these different primary sources in search of your facts, think about the following questions:

What were the motivations for European imperialism? In other words, why did Europe want to take over African territory?

-What were the economic motivations?
-What were the political motivations?
-What were the moral motivations?

What countries were involved with imperialism and to what extent were they involved?

How were Africans involved with imperialism?

How did imperialism take place?

What were the impacts of imperialism on Africa?

Links to the Cartoons

He Came to Bless and Remained to Prey

The Congo Rubber Fetish

The White Man’s Burden

The White (?) Man’s Burden

Lightening the White Man’s Burden

Notes on Imperialism

We will use the conclusions that you drew during the cartoon activity to add to a few notes on imperialism. Use this note guide to help organize your ideas.

Homework

Start thinking about next week’s exam. It will be on Wednesday.

Posted by kmurr at 8:43 AM | Comments (0)

September 6, 2006

Wednesday, September 6th: Reparations Debate

Reparations Debate

Does slavery continue to impact our society today? If so, how?

Should current generations be held responsible for past generations’ mistakes?

How much money should people receive? Can a value be placed on someone’s suffering?

Can the United States afford to pay reparations? Should this even be a consideration?

If the United States pays reparations to the descendents of slaves, will it have to pay reparations to other groups?

First Unit Test

Next Wednesday you will have your first unit test. It will cover everything that we have studied since the beginning of the quarter. For part of the test, you will need to write an essay in class. For this first test I am going to give you the essay questions ahead of time. You pick the question you like the most and prepare for writing the essay as much as you would like. Don't worry! We will talk about this later in the week, but I did want to give you the questions today so you could start thinking about them.

There will also be a 20 point multiple-choice section on the test. You will be allowed to use one page of notes, front and back, on this part of the test. These notes can be typed, but they should use 12 point font or larger and the margins should be one inch on the top and bottom and on the left and right. You cannot copy a classmate's note sheet.

**If your sheet violates any of these rules, I reserve the right to take it away from you, to take points off of your test or to cut your sheet down to make it conform with the rules.

You will be able to use whatever you would like on the essay portion of the exam, as long as it is printed out. You will be typing your essays.

Homework

Don't forget to study for your physical geography quiz. It is tomorrow.

Read over the description of next week's test (see above). YOU DO NOT NEED TO WRITE AN ESSAY FOR TOMORROW'S CLASS. JUST READ OVER THE QUESTIONS. We will talk more tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 6:31 AM | Comments (0)

September 5, 2006

Tuesday, September 5th: The Atlantic Slave Trade

Political Geography Quiz

We will complete this quiz right away. Good luck!!

Notes on the Slave Trade

Last week, you completed a short activity using a series of images associated with the slave trade. This activity was supposed to help you remember what you have already learned about the slave trade. Today, we will build on what you know to create a more in-depth picture of the African slave trade. Be prepared to answer some questions about the images that you looked at last week. Download this note guide to help you take notes.

Reparations Debate

Does slavery continue to impact our society today? If so, how?

Should current generations be held responsible for past generations’ mistakes?

How much money should people receive? Can a value be placed on someone’s suffering?

Can the United States afford to pay reparations? Should this even be a consideration?

If the United States pays reparations to the descendents of slaves, will it have to pay reparations to other groups?

Homework

Make sure that you are studying for the physical geography quiz on Thursday.

Posted by kmurr at 6:33 AM | Comments (0)

August 30, 2006

Thursday, August 31st: African Civilizations

African Civilizations Chart

We will go over the chart that you had to complete (or attempt to complete) for homework. I will have you record your ideas on the board and then we will talk about whether or not these groups of people were civilizations.

Slavery in Africa

Depending on how much time we have left, we will start talking about the European slave trade. We will begin by analyzing a series of images associated with the slave trade. I will put you in groups of 2 -3 and have you answer four questions using the images. You will turn in your answers, so be sure to do your best work.

Homework

1. Your first geography quiz will be on Tuesday when you come back from the long weekend. It will cover the underlined cities and countries. DON'T FORGET TO STUDY.

3. If you need to finish up your civilizations chart, do so this weekend. It is due on Tuesday.

Posted by kmurr at 8:04 PM | Comments (0)

August 29, 2006

Africa Statistics Continued

Syllabus Questions

Do you have any questions about the syllabus? If you do, I will answer them right now!

Complete Our Discussion of Africa Statistics

For homework last night you were asked to finish guessing what each column represented. We will look over these last few columns right now.

Africa's Future

African Geography

You are going to take a few notes right now that are intended to get you to think about why people live where they do in Africa. Download the note guide that accompanies this lecture. You can use the note guide to help you organize your notes. I will always provide a note guide when I lecture.

Homework

1. Continue working on your practice map for Africa. It is due on Thursday.

2. Draw a picture of the word civilization. In other words, draw what image or images come to mind when you hear the word civilization. On the back of your drawing, write a definition of the word civilization. We will use these pictures and definitions as the basis for our discussion tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 6:10 AM | Comments (0)

December 1, 2005

Homework for December 1

Your only homework for the long weekend is to prepare for next week's test. The directions are linked here. Make sure that you prepare for both the multiple-choice test and for the essay portion of the test. Here are a few extra tips.

****Topics to be Covered on the Exam

--Frantz Fanon versus Kenneth Kaunda
--Decolonization Notes (Linked to Lesson 8) Don't worry about these notes too much. Just know the very basic ideas associated with each independence movement.
--Apartheid - Look at the two sheets of information about apartheid. You definitely don't need to memorize the statistics, but use them to understand what apartheid was and how it worked.
--AIDS in Africa - Don't forget the reading from the Economist that we all completed.
--Somalia
--Rwanda
Debt relief will NOT be on the test.

****Don't forget that you need to prepare for two essays this time instead of one. You must prepare for either question 1A or 1B and you must prepare for question 2. You can make a two-hundred word outline for each question.

Good luck and if you have questions over the weekend, feel free to send me an email.

Posted by kmurr at 7:54 AM | Comments (0)

November 30, 2005

Homework for November 30th

You need to prepare your case for tomorrow's class. At the end of class today, you received your assignment for the debate. The half sheet of paper that you received says that you are either a prosecuting attorney (You will argue that the U.S. was negligent in its dealings with Rwanda.) or a defense attorney (You will argue that the U.S. was NOT negligent in its dealings with Rwanda.). You also received two documents. Everyone received the "genocide fax." Everyone needs to understand this document for tomorrow. You also received an additional document that could act as a piece of evidence in your case or that could give you clues as to what the other side is going to say. You need to read your document and figure out whether or not it supports your side of the debate. Everyone has a different document, so don't worry if you have a document that is different from your neighbor's document.

Once you have read both of the documents, think about the questions on the half sheet of paper. Then, brainstorm ideas that you can use to support your case. I expect a half sheet of notes from each of you tomorrow. These should be your OWN ideas about what your side can do to win the debate.

Posted by kmurr at 8:27 AM | Comments (0)

November 29, 2005

Homework for November 29th

1. If you need to revise your answers to the PDD 25 questions, do so tonight. The final answers are due tomorrow.

2. Start thinking about next Tuesday's test. You can already answer parts A and B for choice one. Start working on your outlines!!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:29 AM | Comments (0)

November 28, 2005

Homework for November 28th

Go to Lesson Eleven and download the assignment in the second half of the lesson (It's linked to the blue "here."). Answer the four questions at the bottom of the downloaded page in three to four sentences each. The information in the two paragraphs does give you enough information to answer the questions, but you will need to think. For your information, PDD 25 stands for Presidential Decision Directive 25. Think of this as a law passed by the president that deals with foreign policy. You will turn in your answers tomorrow in class.

Posted by kmurr at 4:05 PM | Comments (0)

November 20, 2005

Homework for November 18th

Your AIDS presentations are due on Monday. You will have about 20 minutes to prepare at the beginning of the hour and then the presentations will begin. Remember, you do need to do outside research for these presentations. Also remember, however, that you don't have any written assignment that goes with these presentations. In other words, you are not writing a paper. You are just preparing a presentation.

Good luck!

Posted by kmurr at 9:17 AM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2005

Homework for November 17th

You should be working on your AIDS project. At this point, you are probably still researching your topic. Keep checking the assignment sheet. This tells you exactly what you need to know about your specific topic. It also gives you the central organizing questions for your presentation. These things should help you focus your research. The conference will begin on Monday, so you need to make sure that you keep plugging away at this assignment. Know that you can always stop by or email with questions.

If you didn't finish the questions today in class, you must answer them for homework. They questions are as follows:

Fanon
***Why do you think Fanon thinks decolonization must always be violent? (3-4 sentences)
***What does "the last shall be first and the first last" mean?
***According to Fanon, should Africans aim to "catch up" with Europe? Why or why not? (3-4 sentences)

Kaunda
***Would Kaunda discriminate against whites? (3-4 sentences)
***According to Kaunda, why have whtites done what they have done? Are whites evil? (3-4 sentences)
***According to Kaunda, what could the West learn from Africa? (2-3 sentences)

Posted by kmurr at 8:37 AM | Comments (0)

November 16, 2005

Homework for November 16th

1. Read the notes linked to Lesson Eight. The link to these notes is highlighted in blue. Look for trends in the independence movements. In other words, what do the movements have in common?

2. Read the Fanon and Kaunda readings. When you come into class tomorrow make sure that you know the answers to the following questions.

***How does each of the writers want to reach independence for Africa?
***How does each of the writers feel about equality between the races?
***How does each of the writers view the use of violence?

We will be doing a series of activities with these readings tomorrow, so you must have your readings done.

Posted by kmurr at 7:34 AM | Comments (0)

November 14, 2005

Homework for November 14th

Study for your test. Don't forget that there are two parts to the test. You can have a limited amount of notes on the multiple-choice part of the test. See the test directions for more details. You can use whatever you would like on the essay portion of the test. Remember, you cannot copy notes from someone else. This will result in major penalties for all people involved.

You can email me with questions tonight, but I won't be answering emails past 8:00. Also, YOU NEED TO HAVE YOUR NOTES PRINTED BEFORE CLASS. Please print at home or before school. Do not waste our time by printing at the beginning of the hour.

Posted by kmurr at 9:30 AM | Comments (0)

November 12, 2005

Homework for November 11th

1. Complete the colonial ledger assignment. Remember, you should have two to three ideas in each box.

2. Study for your first unit test. Don't forget to read the directions for the test. It is here that you can find the essay questions!

Posted by kmurr at 10:30 AM | Comments (0)

November 10, 2005

Homework for November 10th

You don't have any new homework for tonight. You should start thinking about next Tuesday's test. The directions for the test are linked here. If you have any questions, feel free to stop by or to email. We will talk about writing essays tomorrow in class, so think of any general questions that you may have.

Posted by kmurr at 11:54 AM | Comments (0)

November 9, 2005

Homework for November 9th

1. Study for your physical geography quiz. It is tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 9:11 AM | Comments (0)

November 8, 2005

Homework for November 8th

1. Study for your physical geography quiz. It is on Thursday. You have to know all of the physical features listed on the map assignment sheet.

2. Write your response to the poem White Man's Burden. If you were an African, what would you say in response to Kipling. Your response should be a minimum of 8 sentences. Your response should begin with a general statement of reaction and then should be very specific. Pick out specific lines and respond to them. You could even respond to the specific words that Kipling uses. In other words, use the details to support your overall reaction.

3. Start thinking about next week's test. The directions for this test are linked here.

Posted by kmurr at 8:03 AM | Comments (3)

November 7, 2005

Homework for November 7th

1. Your political geography quiz is tomorrow. You need to memorize the underlined cities and countries on the assignment sheet. You will have a word bank on the quiz.

2. Complete the colonialism reading for tomorrow. It will provide some helpful background information aobut the topic and tomorrow's activity.

3. Post an answer to one of the following questions. This is a follow up to today's discussion about reparations. Your answer must be at least four sentences long and must be posted by 3:00 tomorrow (November 8th) afternoon.

a. Does the legacy of slavery continue to impact people living today? If so, how? If not, why not?
b. Can the current generation be held responsible for the actions of past generations?
c. Are there situations, aside from slavery, in U.S. history that may justify the payment of
reparations?
d. You can also respond, respectfully of course, to any comments that have already been posted.

Posted by kmurr at 8:46 AM | Comments (37)

November 4, 2005

Homework for November 4th

1. Finish the charts about civilization. Remember that you need to write in complete sentences in the final column. You might not fill every box in the chart, but you should fill all but a few.

2. Complete the two readings about the slave trade. One reading provides background information on the slave trade. The other reading is about reparations. Make sure you know what it means for a country to "pay reparations" by Monday because we will be having an in-class debate about this topic.

3. Study for the political geography quiz. This will be held on Tuesday, November 8th.

Posted by kmurr at 7:54 AM | Comments (0)

November 3, 2005

Homework for November 3rd

1. Study for your geography quizzes. Your first quiz (countries and cities) will be next Tuesday.

2. Finish the civilizations chart that we started in class today. Don't forget to be as detailed as possible. Also, don't forget to write in complete sentences in the "Is this a civilization?" box. You will turn this in for credit tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 8:51 AM | Comments (0)

November 2, 2005

Homework for November 2nd

1. Your yellow map is due tomorrow. Remember, you must label all of the countries, cities and physical features on this map.

2. Don't forget to study for your first geography quiz. It is next Tuesday and it will cover the political geography of Africa.

3. Please finish your drawing of civilization assignment. Remember, you must draw the word civilization and you must write a working definition of civilization on the back of the drawing.

Posted by kmurr at 9:41 AM | Comments (0)

October 31, 2005

Homework for November 1st

Welcome to Regional Studies. You will always find your homework posted on this blog. Don't forget to check it on a daily basis. Your homework for tonight is as follows:

1. Your yellow map is due on Thursday.

2. Don't forget to study for your quizzes, which are next week.

Political Geography Quiz (Countries and Cities) - Tuesday, November 8th
Physical Geography Quiz - Thursday, November 10th

3. Figure out what the last four columns on the sheet of statistics represent. Don't spend more than ten minutes doing this!

Posted by kmurr at 3:15 PM | Comments (0)

October 26, 2005

Homework for October 26th

I hope the first day of negotiations went well. You will have another day of negotiations tomorrow, so be thinking about how you can resolve some of the major conflicts.

Don't forget about the last two things that you need to do for the class. First, your essay is due on Friday. You received a paper copy of the question last week and it is posted on the blog. Remember, the essay is asking for your opinion and not your character's opinion. I will do my absolute best to read drafts if you send them to me. I can't type very quickly right now though, so I will be slow in getting back to you and I might not type as many comments as I usually do.

Second, don't forget that you have a multiple-choice test on Friday. You NEED to study for this. It covers the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict, terrorism and the peace conference. It is quite detailed, so don't just "read over your notes" in order to study. Put some time into this.

Hopefully, I will see you soon. If not, good luck in the last couple days of quarter one!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)

October 18, 2005

Homework for October 18th

You should work on your Middle East Peace Project over the break. Your position paper is due on Monday by 3:30. Remember, you do not have to write an essay for this assignment. Instead, you answer the questions on the position paper template. The last six questions should be answered with paragraphs that are 5 - 6 sentences long. Also, make sure that you tell me why your person thinks what he/she thinks. For example, it isn't enough to say that Jerusalem should be controlled by the Israelis. You also need to tell me why Jerusalem should be controlled by the Israelis.

Please remember that you probably won't be able to find direct answers from your person to all of the questions on the sheet. You are going to need to make some educated guesses. This is okay!!

You also can start working on your final essay. The question is pasted below and you also received this information in paper form in class.

You will need to write an essay outside of class for your final essay. The essay must be typed, using the Times New Roman font, 12-point. The essay must be double-spaced and can only be three pages. Margins must be 1 inch by 1 inch. The essay is due October 28th at 3:30 PM.

You must answer the following question:

Explain your position on each of the following three issues:

a. The establishment of an independent Palestinian state
b. The future of the old city of Jerusalem
c. The construction of a security barrier around the West Bank

One year from now, will the Middle East be a more or less peaceful region than it is today? Explain your answer.

I will be checking my email periodically during the long weekend. You can email me questions and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Don't forget all of the resources that are available to you on Lesson Four.

Posted by kmurr at 8:29 AM | Comments (0)

October 17, 2005

Homework for October 17th

You should be working on your Middle East Peace Project. Remember, your position paper is due one week from today. The last six questions MUST be answered with full paragraph answers. Make sure that you are always telling me why your person thinks what he/she thinks.

In terms of research, you should have quite a bit of information about your person by now. You should be reading that research and trying to outline your answers to the questions on the position paper. Start working on this now so that if you have questions, you can ask them over the next couple of days. Remember, this is a short week of school.

Don't forget to use Lexis-Nexis when doing your research. This will be one of your best sources of information!! Ms. Horton sent you the codes for this database early this fall. If you need the codes again, talk to your peers or send me an email.

Posted by kmurr at 8:32 AM | Comments (0)

October 14, 2005

Homework for October 14th

You should be working on your Middle East Peace Project. At this point, you should have a pretty clear idea of what has led up to the current situation. Hopefully, this will make your research a bit easier to follow. Remember, there are a number of resources linked to Lesson Four that you will find very helpful. If you want to use Lexis-Nexis over the weekend, make sure that you have the passwords that you need to do so. Over the weekend, you are probably going to want to focus on researching. You need to find enough information to thoroughly answer the questions on the Position Paper assignment. Internet research may help you, but make sure that your sources are reputable. If you have any questions, feel free to email me over the weekend.

Also, make sure that your answers to the packet are thorough and correct. These packets will be corrected on Monday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:10 AM | Comments (0)

October 11, 2005

Homework for October 11th

Your religions test is tomorrow. The test will cover what we did last week and during the first part of Monday's class. The test is multiple-choice and matching. You will not be able to use notes on the test. I will be checking email until about 8 PM if you have any questions.

Posted by kmurr at 2:48 PM | Comments (0)

October 10, 2005

Hotel Rwanda Extra Credit

If you saw the movie this evening, you must post on this blog by 8PM on October 11th to get your extra credit. Answer one of the following questions with a minimum of four sentences. Feel free to respond to your peers' ideas as well.

1. During the movie, the cameraman commented that his horrifying pictures would be seen in the West, that people would watch and then they would continue to eat their dinners. Would you have continued to eat your dinner?

2. Do you think racism played a role in countries like the United States not intervening in Rwanda?

3. What did you think of Dellaire? Did he do everything that he could do?

4. Was the Belgian businessman right when he said that the Belgians, French and Americans were "cowards?"

Posted by kmurr at 7:13 PM | Comments (28)

Homework for October 10th

1. Read through the Middle East Peace Conference assignment and bring your questions for tomorrow's class. It is very important that you understand this assignment, so be sure to read carefully.

2. Your Islam and Judaism test will be on Wednesday. The test is a multiple-choice and matching test. You will not be able to use notes on the exam.

Posted by kmurr at 7:09 PM | Comments (0)

October 7, 2005

Homework for October 7th

1. Study for your cities quiz on Monday. This is your last geography quiz for the quarter.

2. Start thinking about your religions test. It will be next Wednesday. It will only be multiple-choice, matching, etc. You will NOT have to write another essay.

Posted by kmurr at 9:46 AM | Comments (0)

October 6, 2005

Homework for October 6th

1. Study for your Middle East countries quiz. It is tomorrow.

2. Read the two different articles that I handed to you in class. One is an article from CNN and the other is an article from National Public Radio.

3. Spend about 15 minutes researching your assigned pillar. Use this website to do so. Remember, you will be expected to be able to teach about your pillar tomorrow.

When using the website, use the following "key" to figure out what you should research.

Shahadah - Belief
Salat - Worship
Zakat - Almsgiving
Siyam (Sawm) - Fasting
Hajj - Pilgrimage

Posted by kmurr at 8:32 AM | Comments (0)

October 5, 2005

Homework for October 5th

1. Your physical geography quiz is tomorrow. Don't forget to study for it.

2. If you are planning to attend the Hotel Rwanda session Monday night, please make sure that you have gotten your permission slip signed. If you need to know if you have turned in a permission slip, just send me an email.

Posted by kmurr at 3:55 PM | Comments (0)

October 4, 2005

Homework for October 4th

1. Your first geography quiz will be on Thursday. It will cover the PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY of the Middle East. Start studying now.

2. Make sure you do the short reading that I handed to you at the end of class today.

Have a nice, rainy night!

Posted by kmurr at 9:18 AM | Comments (0)

September 29, 2005

Homework for September 29th

Your next unit test is on Monday. The directions for the test describe what is covered. Remember, you do not know which essay question you will answer on the exam. You can prepare one, two hundred word outline for each essay question. You must do your own work on the outlines. This means your outline should not be identical to any other student's outline. You cannot use any notes on the multiple-choice test.

Posted by kmurr at 9:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 28, 2005

Homework for September 28th

1. Read the debt relief article that I handed to you in class. We will be discussing this tomorrow.

2. Continue preparing for Monday's exam. Don't forget to look at the directions for the test. You can also download the essay questions here. Remember, you have to prepare for both questions because you won't know which question will be chosen until Monday.

Posted by kmurr at 8:33 AM | Comments (0)

September 27, 2005

Homework for September 27th

Once you have read both of the documents, think about the questions on the half sheet of paper. Then, brainstorm ideas that you can use to support your case. I expect a half sheet of notes from each of you tomorrow. These should be your OWN ideas about what your side can do to win the debate.

Posted by kmurr at 9:10 AM | Comments (0)

September 26, 2005

Homework for September 26th

Start working on your essays for next week. You can already answer the first essay question and you should be able to answer part of the second essay question. The directions for the first exam and the essay questions are linked here.

If you like to plan ahead, the Hotel Rwanda extra credit opportunity that we have discussed in class will be on October 10th from 5:30 to 8:00. I know that some of you may have games that evening or other conflicts and that you might not be able to attend. Don't worry. We definitely wish that you could come, but there will be an alternative extra credit opportunity for you. Nobody will be left out. I will be giving out more details in the upcoming days, but a number of you have asked for the date. Now you have it!

Posted by kmurr at 7:59 AM | Comments (0)

September 23, 2005

Homework for September 23rd

Download the excerpts from PDD 25 that are linked to Lesson 12. Answer the questions at the bottom of that short reading. Be ready to discuss these questions in class on Monday.

Have a nice weekend!

Posted by kmurr at 12:02 PM | Comments (0)

September 22, 2005

Homework for September 22nd

You kids are lucky. No new homework tonight. Relax and help clean up your yards.

Posted by kmurr at 9:27 AM | Comments (0)

September 21, 2005

Homework for September 21st

If you completed your AIDS presentation, you have no homework. If you haven't presented yet, you will present tomorrow. Make sure that you are ready.

Have a nice night!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:42 AM | Comments (0)

September 19, 2005

Homework for September 19th

Work on your AIDS project. This is your only homework. Here is a list of reminders for you as you are working.

1. Make sure that you are dealing with each part of your committee assignment.

2. You need to do some independent research for this project. If you are having trouble finding information, please feel free to come and see me for help.

3. You need to organize your ideas. DO NOT just list facts during your presentations. Make claims and support them with facts. For example, make the claim that orphans are the most significant problem resulting from the AIDS crisis. THEN use your facts (statistics, stories about orphans, etc.) to support this claim.

4. You can make a PowerPoint presentation to help you when you are presenting. It usually helps to put a basic outline of what you are saying on the slides. Don't just put pictures in your slides to make them interesting. Make sure that any pictures that you include are purposeful.

5. If you are confused or need help, please feel free to meet with me or to email me!

You will have time tomorrow in class to work on this assignment.

Posted by kmurr at 9:50 AM | Comments (6)

September 16, 2005

Homework for September 16th

1. Work on your AIDS presentation over the weekend. Remember, you will have some time to work on this in class next week.

2. Catch up on any missing assignments and/or on any readings that you haven't done.

3. Have fun at Homecoming!

Posted by kmurr at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)

September 15, 2005

Homework for September 15th

1. Read over the notes that you downloaded from lesson nine. We will discuss these tomorrow, so be prepared to answer questions about them.

2. Read one of the articles linked to the bottom of lesson eleven. We will be discussing these in class tomorrow and they will help you with your first project of the year.

3. As a follow up to our discussion today, post an answer to one of the following questions by 8 AM tomorrow morning. Again, feel free to argue respectfully with your peers. Also, feel free to post more than once. Your entry should be at least four sentences long.

Do the ends justify the means?

Why do so many people in this country seem to prefer the use of non-violence?

Can non-violence work in a country that isn't a democracy?

Should those who use violence to achieve "worthy" goals be condemned?

Are there negative impacts to using violence in order to achieve "worthy" goals?

Posted by kmurr at 8:40 AM | Comments (32)

September 13, 2005

Homework for September 13th

Study for your test. It is tomorrow. The directions for the test are linked here. Remember to have everything printed before class starts.

Good luck and email me with any questions that you might have.

Posted by kmurr at 9:33 PM | Comments (0)

September 11, 2005

Homework for September 12th

1. Study for your test on Wednesday. Remember, the test has both a multiple-choice component and an essay component. Prepare for both. Look at this webpage for more information.

2. If you didn't finish the colonial ledger sheet over the weekend, finish it tonight.

3. Make sure that you understand how to answer the following question. The "all but which" format might be new to you and I want to make sure that you understand it before Wednesday's test.

Sample Question

ALL BUT WHICH of the following are true statements about Ms. Murr?

a. She teaches Freshmen Seminar.
b. She coaches debate.
c. She hates jokes.
d. She has a desk in room 197.

4. Here is a link to a map of colonized Africa. This should give you a clear idea of how extensive colonization was.

Posted by kmurr at 9:05 PM | Comments (0)

September 9, 2005

Homework for September 9th

1. Study for your test next week. You can work on your notes for the multiple-choice test and/or you can work on preparing for your essay exam.

2. Complete the reading about colonialism. It contains a little background information that further explains what we have been talking about for the last couple of days.

3. Complete the colonial ledger. In order to do this, think about how colonialism impacted African politics, economics and society. Then divide these impacts into positive and negative impacts and fill in the boxes. Try to have one or two things for each box. Don't do extra research for this assignment and don't spend more than a half an hour on this assignment.

Posted by kmurr at 10:14 AM | Comments (0)

September 8, 2005

Homework for September 8th

1. I am going to move your first unit test back to Wednesday of next week. Start thinking about questions one and two for the essay portion of your exam.

2. Your physical geography quiz is tomorrow. Don't forget to study for it.

Posted by kmurr at 10:32 AM | Comments (0)

September 7, 2005

Homework for September 7th

1. Your physical geography quiz is on Friday. Don't forget to start studying for it.

2. Take a look at the directions for the first unit test. You might even want to think about how you could answer the first essay question. We went over all of this in class today, so you could definitely get a start on this question.

3. If you need to catch up on any readings, make sure that you do that tonight.

Posted by kmurr at 9:46 AM | Comments (0)

September 5, 2005

Homework for September 6

1. Your first Africa geography quiz is tomorrow. It will be on the countries and cities of Africa. Remember, you only need to memorize the countries and cities that are underlined on the map assignment linked to Lesson One.

2. Read the article on reparations for tomorrow. We will be having an in-class debate and you will be expected to participate in this debate. Participation will be much easier if you read the article.

3. By the end of the week, read the background information on the slave trade. It will help to clarify the notes that you take today and tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 1:46 PM | Comments (0)

September 1, 2005

Civilization Questions

Choose one of these questions and answer it by 9 PM on Monday.

1. Is it important to be considered civilized? What happens to groups of people if they are not considered to be civilized?

2. Is it important to be civilized?

3. Can civilized places become uncivilized? Try to use specific examples in your answer.

Your answer should be at least four sentences long. You can respond to other comments in your answer. Make sure that you are respectful, serious and appropriate in your responses.

Posted by kmurr at 10:36 AM | Comments (38)

Homework for September 1

1. Study for your geography quizzes. Your first quiz (countries and cities) will be next Wednesday.

2. Finish the civilizations chart that we started in class today. Don't forget to be as detailed as possible. Also, don't forget to write in complete sentences in the "Is this a civilization?" box.

3. Post an answer to one of the questions listed above. In order to post on the blog, click on the comments link under the questions. Then write your comment and hit post. You do need to put your real email address in the email blank, as this is how I will track your comments. Comments must be appropriate. Also, comments should be at least four sentences long. Feel free to debate/discuss with each other through these comments. Posts should be made by Monday at 9 PM.

Posted by kmurr at 9:09 AM | Comments (0)

August 31, 2005

Homework for August 31st

1. Your yellow map is due tomorrow.

2. Don't forget to study for your quizzes, which are next week.

Political Geography Quiz (Countries and Cities) - Wednesday, September 7th
Physical Geography Quiz - Friday, September 9th

3. Finish up your drawings and definitions of the word civilization. We will talk about these at the start of class tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 10:40 AM | Comments (0)

August 30, 2005

Homework for August 30th

1. Continue working on your yellow maps. They are due on Thursday at the beginning of class.

2. Your political geography quiz (countries and ciTies) will be on Wednesday, September 7th. Your physical geography quiz is on Friday, September 9th.

Go outside!!!

Posted by kmurr at 1:03 PM | Comments (0)

August 29, 2005

Homework for August 29th

1. Finish thinking about the columns of numbers that we discussed in class today.

2. Your yellow map is due on Thursday. You need to label all of the countries and cities on one side of the map. You need to label all of the physical features on the other side of the map. You will NOT need to memorize all of these places for next week's quizzes. You will memorize the underlined countries and cities. You will memorize all of the physical features. We will talk more about this tomorrow.

3. Go outside. It is a beautiful day!!

Posted by kmurr at 1:17 PM | Comments (0)

June 2, 2005

Homework for June 2nd

1. Your China multiple-choice test is tomorrow. It is open notes, but make sure that you are familiar with all of the material.

2. Your last set of current events is due tomorrow.

3. Keep preparing for your final exam.

Posted by kmurr at 1:52 PM

June 1, 2005

Homework for June 1

1. Remember that your China multiple-choice test is on Friday. It is open notes, but make sure that you have read through everything and that your ideas are organized.

2. Your final set of current events is due on June 3rd. That is Friday.

3. Keep preparing for your final exam.

Posted by kmurr at 8:54 PM

May 27, 2005

Homework for May 27th

1. Read the three readings about Tiananmen Square.

2. Your current events are due on June 3rd.

3. Continue studying for your final exam.

Have a nice long weekend!!

Posted by kmurr at 10:10 AM

May 26, 2005

Homework for May 26th

1. Continue working on your last set of current events. They are due on June 3rd. Your opinions must be four sentences long.

2. Complete most of the Mao Legacy assignment on Lesson Seven.

Posted by kmurr at 12:11 PM

May 24, 2005

Homework for May 24th

1. Read the two sets of readings about the Rape of Nanking. Be ready to discuss these readings tomorrow in class.

2. Your last set of current events is due on June 3rd.

Posted by kmurr at 3:36 PM

May 22, 2005

Homework for May 20th

1. Complete the Imperialism question sheet. You can find out more about this assignment on Lesson 5.

2. Your final set of current events is due on June 3rd.

Posted by kmurr at 9:38 AM

May 19, 2005

Homework for May 19th

1. Complete the ten conclusions assignment that you received in class today. Make sure that you aren't just reiterating facts. Instead, use the facts to draw conclusions about what China will be or is like. Use the questions on Lesson Four for ideas.

2. Your final set of current events is due on June 3rd.

Posted by kmurr at 9:39 AM

May 17, 2005

Homework for May 17th

1. Your final set of current events is due on June 3rd. The Regional story should be about China.

2. Continue working on your project if you haven't already presented.

Posted by kmurr at 9:21 AM

May 16, 2005

Homework for May 16th

Continue working on your presentations. Check Lesson One for the presentation schedule.

Good luck!!

Posted by kmurr at 2:52 PM

May 12, 2005

Homework for May 12th

1. Your China geography quiz is on Monday. Start studying.

2. Presentations will begin on Tuesday of next week. Work on these presentations for your homework.

Posted by kmurr at 9:34 AM

May 3, 2005

Homework for May 3rd

1. Your current events are now due on May 12th. I am a softie.

2. Look at Lesson Fourteen. Research four of the events for a discussion in class tomorrow. Don't worry! This work will help you prepare for next week's test.

Posted by kmurr at 8:19 AM

May 2, 2005

Homework for May 2nd

1. Current Events are due on May 9th.

Posted by kmurr at 9:34 AM

April 29, 2005

Homework for April 29th

1. Complete the chart about Stalin's methods for obtaining power. In one column, describe five different tactics that Stalin used to obtain power. In the other column, explain how the evidence helped you to determine this. Use the sources on lesson 12 to complete this assignment.

2. Use the packet of maps and statistics to draw ten different conclusions about Russian involvement in World War II.

Posted by kmurr at 11:11 AM

April 27, 2005

Homework for April 27th

1. Complete the chart that you downloaded from Lesson Ten.

2. Your next set of current events is due on May 6th.

Posted by kmurr at 9:49 AM

April 22, 2005

Homework for April 22nd

1. Your current events are due on Monday.

2. Your test is next Tuesday. Please start preparing for your test NOW.

3. Read over the notes that I handed to you in class today.

Have a fabulous weekend!!!!!

Posted by kmurr at 12:32 PM

April 21, 2005

Homework for April 21st

1. Complete the Board of Inquiry assignment for tomorrow.

2. Your current events are due on Monday.

3. Your first unit test is next Tuesday.

Posted by kmurr at 3:00 PM

April 20, 2005

Homework for April 20th

1. Read the two articles that deal with women in American politics. Consider your opinions on this subject. We will have a graded discussion on this topic tomorrow.

2. Start thinking about your test. It is next Tuesday.

3. Your current events are due on Monday, April 25th.

4. Continue working on your VIP project.

Posted by kmurr at 11:50 AM

April 19, 2005

Homework for April 19th

1. Work on the Peter the Great assignment for tomorrow. It needs to be done at the start of class on Wednesday.

2. Your current events are due on April 25th.

Posted by kmurr at 9:42 AM

April 14, 2005

Homework for April 15th

1. Your final geography quiz is Tuesday. It will be on the cities.

2. Complete the reading about Russia's long history of autocracy. There will be a graded discussion on this reading on Tuesday.

3. Your first set of current events is due on April 25th. The opinions must be four sentences long.

4. Continue working on your VIP projects.

Posted by kmurr at 8:35 PM

April 13, 2005

Homework for April 13th

1. Read the article about the rise of Moscow.

2. Your last geography quiz will be next Tuesday. It will be one the cities.

3. Your first set of current events will be due on April 25th. Remember, opinions need to be four sentences long.

4. Continue working on your VIP assignment. Ivan the Terrible is scheduled to present tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 9:13 AM

April 12, 2005

Homework for April 12th

1. Study for your countries quiz. It is tomorrow!!

2. Read about the Mongol invasion of Russia.

3. Continue working on your VIP project.

Posted by kmurr at 9:32 AM

April 11, 2005

Homework for 11th

1. Continue working on your VIP project.

2. Study for your countries quiz on Wednesday.

Enjoy the rain!!

Posted by kmurr at 12:33 PM

April 8, 2005

Homework for April 8th

1. Study for your physical geography test on Monday. Don't forget.

2. Make sure that your chronology event is done for Monday.

3. Work on your VIP project. Ivan the Terrible will be appearing next week.

Have a nice, warm weekend!!

Posted by kmurr at 10:18 AM

April 7, 2005

Homework for April 7th

1. Work on your chronology event. We will start this activity tomorrow.

2. Start studying for your physical geography quiz. This will be on Monday, April 11.

3. Start working on your VIP project.

Posted by kmurr at 8:20 AM

March 31, 2005

Homework for March 31

1. Study for your test tomorrow. Remember, you can use notes on the exam. It is multiple-choice.

2. Keep preparing for the final. The test is linked to the bottom of the China homepage.

Posted by kmurr at 2:52 PM

March 28, 2005

Homework for March 28th

1. Finish reading the Tiananmen Square readings if you haven't already done so.

2. Consider the questions on lesson 8.

3. Read the two Taiwan articles and make sure that you can answer the following three questions:

a. Why don't China and Taiwan "get along?"
b. What is the One China policy?
c. What is the U.S. position on Taiwan?

Posted by kmurr at 7:31 PM

March 24, 2005

Homework for March 24th

1. Finish the Mao questions that you started in class today. They are due tomorrow.

2. Start preparing for your final exam. If you need an extra copy of the exam sheets, they are linked to the China homepage.

Posted by kmurr at 1:13 PM

March 22, 2005

Homework for March 22

1. Your current events are due tomorrow. Make sure that the opinions are four sentences long.

2. Bring "muddy" clothes for tomorrow. We will be going outside.

Posted by kmurr at 9:48 AM

March 21, 2005

Homework for March 21

1. Current events are due on Wednesday. Don't forget. The regional article should be about China and your opininions should be four sentences long.

2. The answers to the imperialism questions are due tomorrow. Use the information in the packet and linked to Lesson Five to answer these questions. Answers must be written in complete sentences. You can work with one other person to complete this assignment.

3. Bring "outside" clothes to class on Wednesday.

Posted by kmurr at 10:47 AM

March 4, 2005

Homework for the Break

1. Have fun.

2. Your third and final set of current events is due the Wednesday after you come back from break.

3. You need to complete the numbers assignment. Write ten conclusions that you can make as a result of looking at the two sheets of numbers. This is due the day that you get back.

Posted by kmurr at 10:55 AM

March 1, 2005

Homework for March 1

1. Continue working on your project if you haven't yet presented.

2. A set of current events will be due the Wednesday after spring break. You might want to get a jump-start on these.

Posted by kmurr at 2:38 PM

February 25, 2005

Homework for February 25th

1. Your China geography quiz is on Monday. Don't forget to study!!

2. Work on your presentations. A schedule for the presentation is linked to lesson one. Remember, you need to have a 15 to 20 minute presentation. You also need to prepare a handout with a bibliography and some sort of assessment. You can email me over the weekend with any questions.

Posted by kmurr at 12:37 PM

February 24, 2005

Homework for February 24th

1. Your current events are due tomorrow. The regional article can be about China OR Russia.

2. Start working on your presentation. The first presentations will take place next Tuesday.

3. Your China geography quiz is on Monday. Start studying now.

Posted by kmurr at 12:31 PM

February 22, 2005

Homework for February 22nd

1. Study for your test. Remember, it has two parts (VIP test and the essay test) and you can use a limited number of notes on both parts. See the information sheet that I handed to you last week for more information.

2. If you didn't turn in your current events today, they are due on Friday.

Posted by kmurr at 12:02 PM

February 18, 2005

Homework for February 17th

1. Study for your test on Wednesday. Don't forget that you can use a limited number of notes on both sections of the test.

2. Current events are due one week from Friday (February 25th). If you can turn them in by Tuesday, you can get a little extra credit.

Posted by kmurr at 8:51 AM

February 16, 2005

Homework for February 16th

1. Start preparing for next Wednesdays test!!!

2. If you still have to present your VIP, check the schedule on lesson one and be ready to present tomorrow or Tuesday.

3. Your second set of current events is due one week from Friday. You will receive extra credit if you can turn your current events in by Tuesday.

Posted by kmurr at 3:35 PM

February 15, 2005

Homework for February 15th

1. You second set of current events will be due one week from Friday. If, however, you can turn them in one week from today (February 22), you can earn some extra credit.

2. You need to prepare for tomorrow's briefing. You were assigned a part today (Do Nothing, Warning, Blockade, Surgical Strikes, Invasion). You need to prepare to defend this part for tomorrow. Some of these positions are harder to defend than others, some of these positions find more support in the packet than others, but you need to be ready to defend your position tomorrow.

3. A heads up: Your next test will be next Wednesday. You will get the test information tomorrow. Be ready to spend some time preparing over the next few days.

Posted by kmurr at 9:17 AM

February 14, 2005

Homework for February 14th

1. Happy Valentine's Day!!

2. Finish the Cold War assignment that we started in class. You will be graded on your participation in tomorrows discussion, so have your facts ready to go.

3. Continue working on the Cuban Missile Crisis readings. We will run that simulation on Wednesday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:10 AM

February 13, 2005

Homework for February 11th

Sorry that I am late in posting this!!

1. Start working on reading and understanding the information that I gave to you about the Cuban Missile Crisis.

2. Start reviewing your VIP information. Your quiz on that information will probably be one week from Tuesday.

3. Keep working on current events. They are due one week from Tuesday.

Have a nice rest of your weekend!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:32 AM

February 10, 2005

Homework for February 10th

1. Your current events will be due one week from Monday.

2. Continue working on your VIP presentations if you haven't yet presented.

Posted by kmurr at 9:44 AM

February 9, 2005

Homework for February 9th

1. Complete the Stalin activity that we started in class today. List and describe five to seven things that Stalin did in order to gain power.

2. Your current events are due on February 22nd.

Posted by kmurr at 12:35 PM

February 7, 2005

Homework for February 7th

1. Read the excerpt from the Communist Manifesto that I handed to you today in class. Think about the questions at the bottom of the page.

2. Your next set of current events is due Friday, February 18th.

Posted by kmurr at 9:31 AM

February 4, 2005

Homework for February 4th

1. You should make sure that you understand the two revolutions of 1917. This will allow you to get your work done during class on Monday.

2. Keep working on your VIP project if you haven't yet presented.

Have a nice weekend!!

Posted by kmurr at 2:46 PM

February 3, 2005

Homework for February 3rd

1. Your current events are due tomorrow. Don't forget to do them!!

Posted by kmurr at 6:54 PM

February 2, 2005

Homework for February 2nd

1. Your first unit test for Russia is tomorrow. Don't forget to study. The test will include five identications and an essay. You can pick which essay you would like to write. Remember, you can use a limited number of notes for both the identifications and the essay. Look at the sheet that I handed to you that describes the test.

2. Your current events are due on Friday. If you can't remember the format, here is the original assignment. Remember, opinions must now be four sentences long.

Posted by kmurr at 12:25 PM

January 27, 2005

Homework for January 27th

1. Read the packet that I handed to you today. Be familiar with the last 100 years of the tsars' rule of Russia. We will be doing an assignment with this material tomorrow in class.

2. Study for your cities quiz. It is tomorrow!!

3. Your first set of current events is due one week from tomorrow. Get started on this now!!!

4. Start preparing for next week's test. It will be on Wednesday.

Posted by kmurr at 12:32 PM

January 26, 2005

Homework for January 26th

1. Read the two articles that discuss whether or not a woman will be elected president of the United States within your lifetimes.

2. Read the textbook excerpt about Catherine the Great.

3. Study for your cities geography quiz, which is on Friday.

4. Your first set of current events is due one week from Friday.

5. Continue working on your VIP projects.

6. Start thinking about next week's test.

Posted by kmurr at 9:53 AM

January 24, 2005

Homework for November 24th

1. Study for the countries quiz on Wednesday.

2. If you didn't read the article linked to Lesson 4 over the weekend, read it tonight.

3. Keep checking those VIP due dates.

4. Your first set of current events is due one week from Friday (February 4th).

Posted by kmurr at 9:45 AM

January 19, 2005

Homework for January 19th

1. If you haven't presented your chronology event yet, you will present tomorrow.

2. Keep studying for those geography quizzes. Remember, they will begin on Monday with the physical geography quiz.

3. Some of you will be presenting as early as next Wednesday for your VIP project. Please check the VIP Parts page that is linked to Lesson One. It has a column giving the due date for each presenter.

Have a nice evening!!

Posted by kmurr at 8:27 PM

January 18, 2005

Welcome Back!! Homework for January 18th

1. Start studying for your geography quizzes. They begin on Monday with the Physical Geography Quiz.

2. Begin thinking about your VIP project. Some of you will be presenting as early as next week.

3. Your chronology assignment is due tomorrow. Wikipedia online encyclopedia might be a really helpful source of information.

Posted by kmurr at 9:24 AM

January 10, 2005

Homework for January 10th

Since I didn't get a chance to meet with all of you today, I thought I would send you a couple of email reminders about your presentation for TOMORROW.

1. If you are not from the United States, Israel or Palestine, you are presenting alone. Your presentation should be 3-4 minutes long. The main purpose of your presentation is to explain your goals/objectives and to justify your objectives (telling me why your objectives are good and should be accepted by others). You can use the information in your position paper to carry out these two tasks. You shouldn't, however, just read your position paper.

2. If you are from the United States, Israel or Palestine, you are presenting in your respective group. This means that Colin Powell and Bush will present together, the Israelis will present together, and the Palestinians will present together. These 3 groups will each have 8-10 minutes to present. Within each group, there are some things about which all of the group members agree. There are some things about which some of the group members disagree. You need to figure out the areas of disagreement and agreement. Tomorrow, during your group's presentation, you should explain what you agree on and what you disagree on. I will give you a little time at the beginning of class to check in with each other in order to do this, if you haven't done this already. You can also contact each other tonight and might want to do this if you haven't done it. Basically, you are doing what the individuals do (See number one.), but with the Israelis or the Palestinians or the Americans, depending on who you are.

3. I will provide an overhead map of Israel, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, and the Golan Heights. You will need to be able to explain who should get what on this map. This is the geographical solution part of the presentation.

4. Do not get too stressed about these presentations. I know that I wasn't in class to explain all of this. If I need to, I will ask leading questions tomorrow to make sure that you include the critical information.

5. If you have any questions, feel free to call or email.

Long Term Homework

Your final papers are due on Friday. Your final test (25 question mutiple-choice test) is also on Friday.

Posted by kmurr at 3:01 PM

January 3, 2005

Homework for January 3rd

1. Your essay revisions are due tomorrow.

2. Continue working on your Middle East Peace Project Assignments.

Posted by kmurr at 9:46 AM

December 16, 2004

Homework for December 16th

1. If you turn in current events tomorrow, you will receive two extra credit points.

2. Your essay revision is due January 4th.

3. Begin thinking about the Middle East Peace Conference.

Posted by kmurr at 9:53 AM

December 13, 2004

Homework for December 13th

1. Study for your cities quiz. It is tomorrow.

2. Download the Jihad article from Lesson 3. Make sure that you read that article before class tomorrow.

3. Your test on stereotypes, Judaism and Islam is on Wednesday. It has multiple-choice and short answer questions on it. Don't forget to study.

Posted by kmurr at 10:00 AM

December 9, 2004

Homework for December 9th

1. Read the reading about the history of Judaism. It should be a nice review of what we studied in class today.

2. Finish your map for tomorrow. Remember, you will need to pick up your graded map at the end of the day on Friday.

3. Continue working on Current Events. They are due the day that you return from winter break.

Posted by kmurr at 9:37 AM

December 8, 2004

Homework for December 8th

1. Work on your Middle East map. It is due on Friday. Your first quiz, the countries quiz, will be next Monday.

2. Read the website linked on Lesson One under the Brainstorming about the Middle East heading. This website will give you some information about the Middle East and Arab peoples.

3. Read the studies attached to the Anti-Defamation League Link. Try to determine the trend associated with Anti-Semitism in the U.S. and try to determine why this trend exists.

4. Read the studies attached to the Studies Linked Link. Why are the European trends different from the trends in the United States?

Posted by kmurr at 11:08 AM

December 2, 2004

Homework for December 2nd

1. Begin studying for your test. Remember, you cannot use notes on the multiple-choice test. Also, remember that you must prepare for both of the essay questions because you will not know which essay you will have to write until Tuesday.

2. Post ONE concept/event/date/sequence of events/document that you think people should study for the test. Your idea must be different than all of the other posts. To post, hit the comment button below this entry. I will keep track of who posts and who does not. An example of a good entry would be:

"Bantustans - These were the reserves of land given to Africans under Apartheid. The South African government made all Africans citizens of Bantustans. This meant that Africans weren't citizens of South Africa and were easily excluded from South African politics. The Bantustans also consisted of very poor land."

Posted by kmurr at 9:27 AM

December 1, 2004

Homework for December 1st

1. Your current events assignment is due tomorrow. You will be emailing it to me.

2. Continue preparing your case to defend or prosecute the United States. The trial will take place during Thursday's class.

3. Your next unit test will be next Tuesday. Download the essay questions on Lesson 12. Note, you must prepare for both essay questions.

Posted by kmurr at 9:47 AM

November 30, 2004

Homework for November 30th

1. Your current events are due on Thursday.

2. You need to read the documents that I handed to you today in class and start to build a case for your side. This is a tough assignment, so don't worry if you encounter some difficulties while you are working on it.

Posted by kmurr at 9:12 AM

November 29, 2004

Homework for November 29th

1. Your second set of current events is due on Thursday, December 2nd.

2. Read the two articles about Rwanda that I handed to you today.

3. Think about how involved the United States should be in confronting genocide using its military.

Posted by kmurr at 9:07 AM

November 22, 2004

Homework for November 22

1. Your AIDS presentations are due tomorrow.

2. Your current events are due on December 2.

Posted by kmurr at 3:02 PM

November 19, 2004

Homework for November 19th

1. Work on your AIDS project.

2. Your current events are due December 2nd.

Have a really nice weekend!! If you celebrate Thanksgiving, start cooking!

Posted by kmurr at 9:50 AM

November 18, 2004

Homework for November 18th

1. Look at the bottom of Lesson Nine for tonight's homework. You must read two of the articles listed at the bottom of the page. You can certainly read more if you would like to do so. Do not read the same articles as your potential partner for the AIDS project.

Have a nice evening!!

Posted by kmurr at 7:59 AM

November 15, 2004

Homework for November 15th

Study for your test tomorrow. Don't forget that your essay questions are linked to Lesson Four and that the rules for the multiple-choice study guide are also on Lesson Four. If you have any questions, call me or email me. I will be checking email for the last time around 8:30.

Good Luck!!

Ms. Murr

Posted by kmurr at 2:18 PM

November 11, 2004

Homework for November 11-12

1. Your Trading States study guide is due tomorrow. If you are here tomorrow, you will have time to work on it in class.

2. You should start studying for next Tuesday's test now. Remember, there is an essay part of the test and a multiple-choice part of the test. You can download the essay questions on Lesson 4. Additionally, directions about a note sheet for the multiple-choice test are on Lesson 4.

3. You need to complete the colonial ledger for Monday.

Have a nice weekend!!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:55 AM

November 10, 2004

Homework for November 10th

1. Your physical geography quiz is tomorrow. You need to know all of the features listed on the assignment sheet.

2. Your current events are due tomorrow. If they are more than one page, they need to be printed double-sided. They must be printed by the start of class.

3. Your Trading States study guide is due on Friday. You will have some time in class to finish this up on Friday.

4. Your essay questions for next Tuesday's test are linked to Lesson Four. You might want to start looking at these. You will receive more information about writing essays on Friday and on Monday.

Posted by kmurr at 9:41 AM

November 9, 2004

White Man's Burden Discussion

At times, I will post additional discussion questions online. You can continue these discussions if you would like.

1. Does the "White Man's Burden" philosophy still influence U.S. foreign policy? If so, how so? If not, why not?

2. Has the "White Man's Burden" philosophy changed?

3. Should the United States "help" other countries?

Posted by kmurr at 2:33 PM

Homework for November 9th

1. Current events are due on November 11th. Remember, they must be printed before the start of class. They must also be printed "double-sided." If you don't know how to do this, come and talk to me ahead of time.

2. Your Travels in Mali study guide is due on Friday.

3. Your physical geography quiz will be on Thursday. Keep studying.

4. Make sure that you do the colonization reading by Thursday. This information will be helpful for our in class discussions.

Posted by kmurr at 10:03 AM

November 8, 2004

Homework for November 8th

1. Current Events are due on Thursday, November 11th.

2. Your first geography quiz is TOMORROW. It will cover the cities and countries of Africa. Remember, you only need to know the underlined cities and countries.

3. Your Trading States study guide is due on Friday. Remember, you can work with one other student on this assignment.

4. Read the colonization handout by Thursday. This is some helpful background information for you.

This looks like a lot of new homework, but the only thing that is new is number 4. Just keep plugging away and things will get done.

Posted by kmurr at 9:26 AM

November 4, 2004

Homework for November 4

1. Study for your first map quiz. It will be next Tuesday and it will cover the cities and countries.

2. Continue working on your current events. These are due on November 11th.

3. Read the article by Felix Hoover that is linked to the bottom of Lesson 3. This is due on Monday.

4. Work on answering the questions about the trading kingdoms of West Africa. This will be due on Friday, November 12th.

Have a good weekend!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:40 AM

November 3, 2004

Homework for November 3

1. Your first set of current events is due on November 11th. Start working on this assignment now.

2. Read the handout about the slave trade. We will start discussing the slave trade tomorrow.

3. Start studying for your geography quizzes. Use the practice sheets that I gave to you.

4. Get some sleep.

Posted by kmurr at 9:06 AM

November 2, 2004

Homework for November 2

1. Encourage eligible voters in your lives to vote.

2. Your map is due tomorrow. All cities, countries and physical features must be labeled.

3. Enjoy the election coverage and be AWAKE for class tomorrow.

Happy Election Day!!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:40 AM

October 31, 2004

Homework for November 1

1. Read the two articles linked on Lesson 1 (Hennemeyer and Walsh).

2. Download the current events assignment and read it for tomorrow.

3. Work on your maps. They are due on WEDNESDAY.

Posted by kmurr at 6:40 PM

October 20, 2004

Homework for October 20

1. Continue researching for the Middle East Peace Conference. Your position paper is due on Monday. You can find a template for that position paper linked to Lesson 5.

2. You received your final essay question today. You must write this essay OUTSIDE of class. It is due on Friday, October 29th. For more information, go to the Middle East Lessons Page.

Have a nice break!!

Posted by kmurr at 9:08 AM

October 15, 2004

Homework for October 15

1. Your current events are due on Monday. They must be printed when you walk into class.

2. Work on your Middle East Peace Conference assignments. Keep researching!!!

Posted by kmurr at 7:26 PM

October 14, 2004

Homework for October 14

1. There will NOT be a quiz tomorrow.

2. Download the notes linked to lesson six and start studying them.

3. Your essay revision is due tomorrow.

4. Bring things to work on tomorrow in class. You will be preparing for the Middle East Peace Conference.

Posted by kmurr at 3:32 PM

October 13, 2004

Homework for October 13

1. Work on your Middle East Peace Conference Assignment.

2. Your essay revision assignment is due on Friday.

3. Your last set of current events is due on Monday, October 18th.

Have a good evening.

Posted by kmurr at 8:49 PM

October 12, 2004

Homework for October 12

1. Your physical geography quiz is tomorrow. Don't forget to study for it.

2. Work on your essay revision. That is due on Friday.

3. Start doing some research for the Middle East Peace Conference. You might want to check out the Pathfinder for the project (Go to the MPA Library Webpage and click on Pathfinders. Then click on the Pathfinder under my name.)

4. Current events are due next Monday, October 18th.

Posted by kmurr at 2:35 PM

October 11, 2004

Homework for October 11

1. Finish your current events. They aren't due until October 18th, but you want to get them out of the way now!!!

2. Check the Middle East web page tonight. Barring any major catastrophes, you will be able to look at the requirements for the Middle East Peace Conference.

3. YOUR CITIES QUIZ IS TOMORROW!!!!! Don't forget to study.

Posted by kmurr at 10:36 AM

October 10, 2004

Homework for October 8

1. Study for the unit test that is tomorrow. It will cover the Middle East stereotypes lesson and the information on Judaism and Islam. It will have a multiple choice section and a short answer section.

2. If you haven't already taken it, your countries quiz on the Middle East is also tomorrow.

Posted by kmurr at 9:17 AM

October 7, 2004

Homework for October 7

1. Study for your countries quiz tomorrow. Your cities quiz is next Tuesday. Your physical geography quiz is next Wednesday.

AMMENDMENT

If you want to take the countries quiz tomorrow, please email me to make arrangements. Otherwise, you will have your religions test AND your countries quiz on Monday.

2. Read the two articles linked at the bottom of Middle East lesson three. One article is about the meaning of the word Jihad. The other other article is about reactions in the Muslim press to the Beslan terrorist attack.

3. Work on your current events.

Posted by kmurr at 8:52 AM

October 6, 2004

Homework for October 6

1. Your countries quiz is on Friday.

2. Work on your current events assignment. Get it done early.

There is no other homework for tonight.

Posted by kmurr at 3:02 PM

October 5, 2004

Homework for October 5

1. Complete the reading about Islam for tomorrow.

2. Your geography map is due tomorrow. All cities, countries and geographic features must be labeled.

3. Work on your current events now!!! You will be assigned a major project either late this week or early next week. Get ahead. Use the light load of homework to work on your last set of current events.

4. The countries geography quiz is on Friday.

5. If you didn't finish it in class, analyze the excerpts from Genesis and Exodus.

Posted by kmurr at 8:38 AM

October 3, 2004

Homework for October 4

1. Your next set of current events is due on Monday, October 18th.

2. Just as you did during the Africa unit, you will need to complete a geography assignment during the Middle East unit.

The completed map will be due on Wednesday, October 6th.

The countries quiz will be on Friday, October 8th.

The cities quiz will be on Tuesday, October 12th.

The geographic features quiz will be on Wednesday, October 13th.

3. You need to read some short excerpts from the textbook The Middle East and North Africa.

4. You need to look at the information about stereotypes of the Jewish people. The information is linked to the Middle East Lesson One.

Posted by kmurr at 10:28 AM

September 30, 2004

Homework for September 30

Your current events are due on Monday. The regional article should be about Africa. Focus on writing strong opinions.

Have a nice weekend!!!

Posted by kmurr at 3:56 PM

September 29, 2004

Homework for September 29

Your test is tomorrow. You can only use notes on the essay portion (see previous posts) of the test. The test begins with apartheid in South Africa and goes through the AIDS conference.

Current events are due Monday, October 4th!! Your regional article should be about Africa.

Good luck!!!

Posted by kmurr at 8:21 AM

September 28, 2004

Homework for September 28th

Your homework for tonight is to study for Thursday's test. Remember:
**You cannot use notes on the multiple-choice part of the test.
**You can make one 200 word outline for each of the possible essay questions.
**You can use the outline during the essay test.
**You will not get to choose which essay question you will answer. The essay question will be chosen at the beginning of class in a drawing.

If you haven't presented yet, work on your AIDS presentation.

Posted by kmurr at 2:23 PM

September 27, 2004

Homework for September 27th

1. The AIDS conference will begin tomorrow. You should have your presentation ready to go as soon as you walk through the door.
**If you need a projector for a PowerPoint presentation, I need to know that by the end of the day
today.
**If you have a handout that you need copied, I need it by first block tomorrow.

2. Your second unit test will be on Thursday.
**You will not be able to use notes on the multiple-choice part of the test.
**You will write an essay on one of the two questions linked to the Africa page.
****You will need to prepare for both essays.
**You can prepare two 200 word outlines to prepare for the essay test. You can use the outlines
during the essay portion of the test.

Posted by kmurr at 9:15 AM

September 24, 2004

Homework for Monday, September 27

1. You need to decide whether or not to charge the United States and/or the United Nations with negligence when it comes to what happened in Rwanda in 1994. Use the information on Lesson 13 to complete this assignment. Additionally, use the declassified documents that I copied for you and gave to you in a colored folder.

2. Work on your AIDS presentation. The conference will begin on Tuesday.

3. Begin thinking about next Thursday's test. The essay questions are linked to the Africa Lessons Page and to the bottom of Lesson 13.

4. Current events are due October 4.

Posted by kmurr at 2:07 PM